St. James NEST's Story

St. James NEST was established in 2018 as a 501(c)(3) charitible non-profit organization.  It is an organization of residents of St. James Plantation in Southport, NC, who are committed to helping their St. James' neighbors age-in-place in their homes for as long as possible. 

It all started with a book, “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande, a practicing surgeon, read by St James NEST Past Vice President, Cindy Hauman. One of its glowing reviews stated, “Being Mortal shows how the ultimate goal is not a good death, but a good life, all the way to the end.” Cindy took the ball and ran with it by planning and announcing informational meetings. Though initial meeting attendance was small, it expanded quickly, and in August 2018, the board, executive committee and committee chairs were chosen. It’s neighbors helping neighbors.  An unexpected supporter of this concept was Homer Wright, our St. James visionary. He heard about this endeavor and provided financial support to help get St. James NEST up and running.

St. James NEST is one of more than 260 open Villages nationwide, with 80 Villages in development. St James NEST is a member of the National Village to Village Network so it has access to templates for policies, procedures, guidance, etc.

We are excited about the progress we have made to date. There are over 200 St. James residents signed up as potential Volunteers. We are thankful for them, as well as the many St. James residents that have provided us with financial support through donations.

Acknowledgements  

Many, many thanks to each member of the Board past and present! St. James NEST is not possible, without your vision and leadership! This includes the irreplaceable Mary Page, St. James NEST's first Secretary, and Cindy Hauman, who was the original impetus behind the start of St. James NEST and moved off the Board of Directors in 2020, but continues to remain active in recruiting and orienting new Volunteers to St. James NEST on the Volunteer Committee.

We'd also like to thank past committee chairs, Judy Harper (Compliance), David Kelly (Finance) and Valerie McGhee (Membership) who were instrumental in getting St. James NEST off the ground.

Thanks also goes to Bob Bennett, Mary Ellen Cueny, Bob Kanich, Nick Noble and Len Trizinsky who shared their special talents as we created St. James NEST.

Photo credit on our home page and this page to St. James resident, Nick Noble, for sharing his beautiful photos of the St. James Beach Club and Marina!