Lakewood Ranch YMCA hosts senior fair

By Madison Bierl
| 10:45 a.m. May 22, 2025

East County
Neighbors

Lakewood Ranch residents Chuck and Phyllis Lynn, owners of Lynn's Spins Inc., are frequent entertainers at the YMCA Senior Fairs and other local events.

On May 21, they provided entertainment for the guests of the YMCA's most recent gathering, with Chuck singing along with Phyllis, who was DJing.

The Lynns' 57th wedding anniversary is in late May.

"I've been blessed for 57 years," said Chuck Lynn. "I don't know where I would've ended up, probably in jail."

Chuck and Phyllis both agreed that they have had their ups and downs but have gotten through them as best friends.

The senior program at the YMCA began 10 years ago and was founded by Donna Augustyniak. She wanted to create a group where everyone was invited, as seniors can get often lonely.

Senior Fairs have been going on annually for five years, twice a year for the last three. The goal is to provide seniors a one-stop shop for a broad range of resources. On May 21, 37 vendors took part.

Augustyniak is the senior coordinator at the Lakewood Ranch YMCA and is now 76 years old. "I've been a senior since I started and I'm still going strong," she said.

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Chuck and Phyllis Lynn, owners of Lynn's Spins Inc. provide entertainment for the senior fair. Phyllis controls the music while Chuck sings. They will celebrate their 57th wedding anniversary on May 24.

Sue Piatek(front left), Janet Tibbetts (front right), Carmen Wiersena (back left), Debbie Gehron (middle) and Julie Gonzales (back right) discuss Carmen's Concierge and Archwell Health.

Sarasota's Susan Walker learns more about Discovery Commons At Bradenton, a senior living community, from executive director Stephanie McKinnon.

East Bradenton's Chuck Lynn has been in business with Lynn's Spins Inc. for the last 24 years and has been involved in show business for 60 years. He says when he gets out of line his wife Phyllis turns his mic off.

Lindsay Ogden, Josie Wilson, Denise Douglas and Meeru Fendt represent PrimeHealth Primary Care and Guardant Health. Guardant Health has the Shield blood test, which is the first FDA approved blood test for a colon cancer screening.

MyCareFinders' senior care advisor Jean Kramer informs Lakewood Ranch resident Janet Stewart about services the company provides including assisting in finding senior living communities at no cost to the client.

Marcia Anderson and Donna Foster have both been members at the Lakewood Ranch YMCA for 4 years. Both of them acted as volunteers for the event and handed out snacks to those checking out the resource booths.

Assistant administrator Kyla Sunderland and recruiting coordinator Sabrina Vaquez of Granny Nannies share information about their in home healthcare services for the elderly and disabled. Sunderland said it helps people in need of assistance maintain their independence while still receiving the help they need.

Nurse case manager Angel Hill and marketing director Valerie Franks with Cooper Family Medical had a booth at the senior fair. They have locations in Bradenton and Parrish.

Lakewood Ranch resident Honz Keclik came to the senior fair in search of assisted living facilities for his mother. Stephanie McKinnon, executive director at senior living community Discovery Commons At Bradenton, shares information about their services.

The Alloro at University Groves' Marilyn and Patrick Moran have been married 22 years. They thought the senior fair was very nicely set up and they felt as though they could find anything they needed in the department of health.

Visitors at the senior fair take a break from learning about senior living options and products regarding wellness and healthcare.

Bradenton's John Wayne Greenwell, The Alloro at University Groves' Patrick and Marilyn Moran and Lakewood Ranch's Chuck and Phyllis Lynn have been friends for years.

Creekwood's Sue and Rich Schwartz, who have been married for 44 years, dance along to music by Lynn's Spins. Rich says he wants to keep himself loose and describes him and his wife as "old groupies" as they have been friends with the Lynns for 20 years.

Monica Greenlaw of Southern Healthcare Management shares information about Sarasota Point Rehabilitation Center, a four star rated facility that has 58 private suites to Lakewood Ranch resident Lisa Nudy. Nudy was interested in learning about outpatient therapy.

Creekwood's Sue Schwartz tries out a patch from The Super Patch Company that supposedly gives the user more balance and stability in seconds. She did a balance test with independent associate Sue Vipond and said she could tell the difference.

Ali Tahiiri, Naturali Pro LLC brand representative, tells Bradenton's Mary Orlando about a BioPhotonic Scanner which measures the level of concentration of antioxidants through scanning a hand.

Photo by Madison Bierl

Allison Adams, development outreach coordinator of Team Tony Cancer Foundation, takes a photo of Darlando Bailey, the community relations director for The Villas of Holly Brook, a senior living community. Adams says she enjoys cross promoting other businesses as events.

Allison Adams, development outreach coordinator of Team Tony Cancer Foundation and Shari Schwartz, clinical liaison at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital share information about each of their workplaces and pose for a photo together.

Janet Tibbetts and Chris Joyce make their way around to the informational booths provided. Joyce says he is sampling cookies and resources and appreciates that he can find so many resources in one place.

author

Madison Bierl

Madison Bierl is the education and community reporter for the East County Observer. She grew up in Iowa and studied at the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University.