Blue Cross Honors Two Individuals for Helping Senior Citizens
Amy Barczy
| 3 min read
Amy Barczy is a former brand journalist who authored content at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Prior to her time at Blue Cross from 2019-2024, she was a statewide news reporter for MLive.com. She has a decade of storytelling experience in local news media markets including Lansing, Grand Rapids, Holland, Ann Arbor and Port Huron.
Two Michigan residents are being honored for improving the lives of seniors. Satrice Coleman-Betts, executive director of the St. Patrick Senior Center in Detroit, and Dean Snider, president of the Fowlerville Senior Center in Fowlerville, are the recipients of the 2019 Claude D. Pepper Community Service Award from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
Coleman-Betts and Snider are the kind of people who arrive early and stay late; planning activities, checking in on seniors going through a tough time and going the extra mile to make sure older adults in their communities have a place to go. Coleman-Betts received the award in October and Snider received the award in November. As a part of the award, both individuals received $1,000 checks from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, which they donated to their respective organizations. The annual Community Service Awards from Blue Cross honor people and organizations making a difference in the lives of Michigan’s senior citizens.
Satrice Coleman-Betts
Christie Laster, senior community liaison with BCBSM, presents Satrice Coleman-Betts, executive director of the St. Patrick Senior Center in Detroit, with a check as a part of the 2019 Claude D. Pepper Community Service Award from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Coleman-Betts is the executive director of St. Patrick Senior Center, but that doesn’t keep her from getting involved at every level of the organization. From cooking meals to washing dishes, to driving seniors to their medical appointments and even to cleaning seniors’ homes, Coleman-Betts works to bring a ray of sunshine to the lives of those at the center. “Satrice goes above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that seniors have what is necessary to survive and thrive,” said Christie Laster, community liaison with BCBSM. “It’s very inspiring because when I think in terms of my parents and as they continue to age, I would want a Satrice in their life to help them if I couldn’t be there to help them.” Coleman-Betts said she wants to do whatever she can to help the seniors she serves continue to be independent. “I look at my people at St. Pat’s as my family,” Coleman-Betts said. “Not only do I touch their lives, they touch mine too.”
Dean Snider
(L-R) Christie Laster, BCBSM senior community liaison; Dean Snider, Fowlerville Senior Center president; Gabe Basso, BCBSM governmental affairs manager; and State Rep. Hank Vaupel present a check to Snider as he is recognized with the 2019 Community Service Award from BCBSM. As the president of the Fowlerville Senior Center, Snider is the glue that keeps the center together. “Dean is one of those really unique and outstanding individuals,” said State Rep. Hank Vaupel, R-Fowlerville. “He runs the center. They run it on hard work and on trying to satisfy the needs of the seniors in the community – and Dean puts in the work.” Snider spends hours each week coordinating activities for seniors to participate in at the center, managing a meals-on-wheels style lunch program as well as field trips. “I really appreciate Blue Cross recognizing somebody like me that helps out the community and seniors,” Snider said. “I didn’t expect anything like that. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for recognizing me.” If you enjoyed this story you may also enjoy:
