As a teenager, Steve Harrison worked at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club alongside his father, Murle Harrison, who enjoyed a 40-year career with the club as club manager. After high school, the younger Harrison attended the business school at Florida State University and ventured forth into a career in the hospitality industry that took him throughout the United States and the British Virgin Islands. Harrison returned to Ponte Vedra in 2000 to serve as general manager and oversee the construction of Serenata Beach Club. It was there that he first met Cathy Brown, who was executive director at the time for St. Johns County Council on Aging (COA).
“Cathy said she needed a golf tournament to raise funds for COA programs,” Harrison remembered. “So COA’s first charity golf tournament was launched there in 2003, which we called the ‘Serenata Cup.’ That was also the year Cathy recruited me for the COA Board of Directors.”
The COA Champions for Elders Golf Tournament, as it is now known, is still going strong. Harrison is going strong as well, as president at the helm of COA’s board, charting a course to create a brighter future for older adults in the community.
During his 20-plus years on the board, COA has seen a rapid expansion of programs and services for the growing population of older adults in St. Johns County. COA has also made notable accomplishments that have enhanced quality of life in Ponte Vedra.
In 2007, COA constructed THE PLAYERS Community Senior Center at 175 Landrum Lane in Ponte Vedra Beach. The center was founded in partnership with St. Johns County and with initial financial support from THE PLAYERS and private donors in the community, including Don and LaVonne Blackburn.
The center serves lunch and offers classes, lectures, activities and special events, Tuesdays through Fridays. Transportation services to and from the center are available through COA’s paratransit services. To learn more about the programs offered there, go to coasjc.org/ponte-vedra-center or call 904-209-3659.
In 2015, COA founded the Ponte Vedra Memory Care Center at the St. Johns County facility at 1048 A1A North in Ponte Vedra Beach. There, COA offers their innovative Integrative Memory Enhancement Program, IMEP, a classroom program that helps attendees strengthen their cognitive functioning and slow the progression of memory loss and dementia.
The center also provides valuable respite time and support for caregivers. The IMEP program is offered at other locations throughout the county, and nationally, by agencies and facilities that serve seniors and lease the program for use.
To learn more, go to imeprogram.com or call 904-729-9535.
After serving Christ Episcopal Church in Ponte Vedra Beach as parish executive for 14 years, Harrison retired last year with plans for travel and adventure with his wife, Debbie. However, the needs of older adults in our community continue, and COA continues to benefit from his support and leadership.
“Our primary mission is to keep people in their homes for as long as they can, and bring assurances to their families as well,” Harrison explained. “However, we also want to make sure we are providing the services and facilities that are helpful and enriching to our community. We are asking questions; for example, what does a newly retired person want today? We have the desire and the ability to be creative at COA. It’s not just bingo and bridge; we are here to support and inspire our community.”
“Of course, we can’t accomplish this without the support of community members,” he continued. “I encourage everyone to get involved however they can. We need our hometown’s support to create the bright future we’ve envisioned for us all.”
To learn more about COA’s comprehensive programs and services and to get involved, go to coasjc.org, or call 904-209-3700.
