The Springs Spreads its Wings  

Right in the heart of downtown Simpsonville – just across the street from the stately churches of Southern tradition and around the corner from the town’s famous clock tower – is a place where the elder statesmen (and stateswomen) of the greater Greenville metropolitan area bask in South Carolina warmth, soaking in the wisdom and tranquility of the golden years. The Springs at Simpsonville is a fitting name for a place whose fountain of youth sits in the pond out back, bubbling life into the waters that buttress the thriving community.

It’s entirely normal, for example, to witness a handful of octogenarian women piling into the senior living community’s golf cart for a quick joy-ride and ice-cream run – they call themselves the Spring Chickens – a reflection of the vibrant lives led at The Springs, and it’s just one more example of the community and the town, interwoven as ever.

The Springs turned fifteen this year, and the occasion was marked by a ceremonial ribbon cutting to welcome a new wing, a brand-new wing appointed so luxuriously to accommodate the surging demand among seniors hoping to call The Springs home.

Springs leadership Hunter Howard, Jr. shared at the fifteenth-anniversary celebration that both his parents and the parents of his wife, Martha Baldwin, had a dream to create The Springs. The Howard and Baldwin families made their dream of building a special place for seniors a reality when The Springs opened in 2001. Howard says, “We were in pursuit of a dream: that seniors could find vibrant and abundant life here in downtown Simpsonville. This dream lives on at the Springs today. I’m proud that we’ve built a place that lasts. More than ten of our employees, including our executive director, have called The Springs home for a decade or more. That says it all.”

Executive director Jim DeWitt has been a Springs employee since the very first day of business. “Fifteen years ago, I interviewed with Hunter Howard, Sr. and made a commitment then and there to help build his dream,” said DeWitt. DeWitt knew immediately how special the family’s concept was. He says that Howard Sr.’s “vision became my vision; with strong culture of team and a commitment to excellence in everything we do, The Springs could be more than senior living. It could be home.”

Today, that dream is growing.

DeWitt, the Howard family, Mayor Janice Curtis, and the local advisory board and key community leaders as well as The Springs at Simpsonville staff, residents, families and friends were all on hand to cut the ribbons on the Poinsettia expansion. This expansion, along with the addition of a media room, rehabilitation suite, library and coffee café, is part of a commitment to continually improving the lifestyle at The Springs and a commitment to offering residents the best possible senior living amenities.

At the grand opening ceremony for our new wing, Mayor Curtis talked about her personal experience of volunteering at The Springs. Curtis said, “I had the privilege of being a part of the ‘senior prom’ at The Springs and assisting with makeup for the ladies. The ladies were absolutely radiant and excited about this event.” Curtis went on to say, “The Springs is a very influential and vital part of our community. They offer services for our treasured seniors and employment for our city.”

Today, The Springs is quite literally a dream come true for those folks whose footprint on Simpsonville is as evident as a gaggle of little old ladies whipping around in a golf cart. A goal realized, a community pillar created, a dream won.

Visit www.thespringssc.com/wingingit to see an expanded gallery of photos from the ribbon cutting and to learn more about our new Poinsettia wing and other senior living options, including independent living cottages, assisted living, and memory care. The Springs may be the perfect place to make your dreams come to life!