{"id":14843,"date":"2017-02-20T17:01:06","date_gmt":"2017-02-20T17:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/georgiaarsoncontrol.org\/?p=14843"},"modified":"2017-02-20T17:01:06","modified_gmt":"2017-02-20T17:01:06","slug":"georgia-firefighters-dance-with-senior-citizens-on-valentines-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/georgiaarsoncontrol.org\/?p=14843","title":{"rendered":"Georgia firefighters dance with senior citizens on Valentine\u2019s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

(WTVR<\/a>) \u2013 For many senior citizens, the day of love can be a bittersweet reminder of loved ones lost. To brighten up their senior residents\u2019 Valentine\u2019s Day, staff at John-Wesley Villas in Macon, Georgia, invited special guests to their first Sweetheart Ball: local firefighters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to make our residents feel loved,\u201d said John-Wesley executive director Mary Hudson, who first proposed the idea of a ball. There was just one problem: The overwhelming majority of residents are women, who wondered, \u201cWho is going to dance with us?\u201d<\/p>\n

Just six days before the event, marketing director Lauren Rutherford put the question to her Facebook community, inviting local firemen, police officers, and other men in uniform to join the dance.<\/p>\n

To her surprise, the post got 156 shares and a flood of comments offering help.<\/p>\n

When the news reached Chief Marvin Riggins at the Macon-Bibb County Fire Department, he gladly dispatched 20 of his best men.<\/p>\n

On the big day, the residence hall had a prom-like atmosphere. \u201cWe were worried that it would be like a middle school dance with boys on one side, girls on the other side,\u201d said Hudson. But once the music hit, the firemen swept the ladies off their feet, showcasing their cha-cha and foxtrot skills.<\/p>\n

The dance took the seniors back in time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t danced with a man in a uniform in a long time, since I danced with my husband in uniform, so it\u2019s been great,\u201d one resident, Ruth Godfree, told WMAZ.<\/p>\n

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