Denise Stuckey, the outreach director at Fountain Crest retirement community on Taylor Extension, just off Homestead Rd. in Lehigh, say some big plans are being made for an event in which all the senior citizens in the community are invited to attend.

“We’re having a big-time Valentine’s Day Party that starts at 2 p.m. and it will not cost anything and we are going to have a great time during the day,” she said.

Stuckey who has been with Fountain Crest for around five years, enjoys making plans for what she calls the “all inclusive resort style rental community.”

And it is. The interior is beautifully decorated with a water fountain not from the entrance to the complex. There is a movie theater and a library in the complex plus other amenities.

The celebration for Valentine’s Day will be in the Cascades Dining Room.

“Come to have fun,” she urges every senior in Lehigh.

“We can handle the crowd. We are going to have a live band, the well-known group that calls itself Le-Deux with Dick and Diann. They are known for performing at other sites and draw large crowds of people who come to enjoy their music.

“Folks can dance and everything. Or they can sit and enjoy listening to them. We will have refreshments in the dining room. We will have door prizes drawn throughout the day along with other giveaways.

“It’s Valentine’s Day and that is the time to honor our seniors in Lehigh” she said.

“Don’t worry about the cost. Don’t bring any money. It is all on us,” Stuckey said.

“Just come and have a good time.”

Fountain Crest is a large retirement home for those 50 years of age and older. A spouse can be younger. The facility offers meals any time of the day you want them.

“If someone wants breakfast at 2 p.m. in the afternoon, we will do that for them. If they want a meal any other time, we will prepare it for them; our chef is onsite all the time,” Stuckey said.

“And our chef is very good,” she smiled. “Very good food.”

In addition to meals, residents of Fountain Crest are provided housekeeping, a complete cleaning service of a resident’s home unit.

“We’re really an independent retirement community at affordable prices,” she said.

But the fun doesn’t end on Valentine’s Day.

Stuckey said come March 27, Fountain Crest will hold its annual Health Fair with free screening, all provided by Lehigh Regional Medical Center.

Stuckey said they do such things as bone density tests, blood glucose testing for diabetes and much more.

“And we will be giving away door prices and there will be a free lunch in the Cascades Dining room for all.

“And again, no cost. You can’t beat that,” she said.

There are out-of-town groups that come into the community and offer health screenings and charge large fees and won’t accept your insurance to pay for it. It is cash on the spot.

“Not with LRMC, our very own special hospital right here in Lehigh. We have the best professionals who will be screening our visitors. Some malady could be found and it would great to know before it is too late so it could be treated,” she said.

Why do we do this, she was asked.

“It is a community service to keep our senior citizens well. Anytime we can provide free screenings, the better off their health will be,” she said. And to hold free events to have fun is great for seniors.

It is for all seniors 50 and older, too, she added.

“And while folks are here at Fountain Crest, we are more than happy to show them around our complex. We have a beautiful place in which to live. When you move here, just about everything is taken care of. We even provide transportation to places in Lehigh and Fort Myers, such as appointments with doctors and shopping,” she said.

“We want to make our seniors’ lives as pleasant as possible,” Stuckey said.

“We’re asking people to mark their calendars so they won’t forget. And in March there is more to come.

“Valentine’s Day is next Tuesday and the other event is on a Tuesday, too, March 27.

“Seniors in Lehigh are an important group of our citizens. We have a lot of things for them to do in Lehigh and we want to be a part of their experience,” she said.