The 2023 Dr. Wayland Marks Gratitude Award winner, Teresa Bowers has worked in various roles in our community, all of which serve seniors.  We first met Teresa in 2007.  At that time, Teresa was an Occupational Therapist working for Mary Washington Home Health.  As an OT specializing in behavioral health issues, Teresa helped seniors of Fredericksburg struggling with mental health issues. Later, while continuing to work with home health,  Teresa became the Director of the Senior Visitor Program with Mental Health America.  The program matches socially isolated senior citizens with trained volunteers who provide weekly, home-based visits. Teresa worked to recruit and train these volunteers so that the Fredericksburg area seniors would benefit from the company and social contact they provided. After several years in this position, Teresa transitioned to Micah Ministries where she works today.   At Micah Ministries, Teresa works with the homeless, many of whom are elderly.  She works to make sure they get the medical care they need and addresses mental health issues that may be barriers to receiving adequate medical care. Through all of this, Teresa has been an active member of Partners in Aging.  She attends meetings regularly and has served as the chair of the Caregiver Luncheon Committee and was instrumental in growing the event to what it is today.  When she was no longer the chairperson of the event, she continued to serve on the committee for several year. Teresa has a reputation of being reliable and knowledgeable.  She is always available to her coworkers.  She advocates for seniors by reminding health care providers that seniors may be struggling with issues that are more than their medical diagnosis. She is always eager to jump in to help solve an issue.