Community. It’s a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. In this time of an unprecedented international health crisis, the sense of community at Reynolds Lake Oconee is as strong as it has ever been, perhaps if possible, even stronger.
All across the 12,000 acres of our sprawling lakeshore development, the community has come together – while social distancing. The ingenuity of the staff has made life at “The Lake” more palatable, entertaining, and safe.
Over the past two weeks, the management and operations teams have worked tirelessly creating alternative ways to engage and entertain Members during a time when it has been mandated that residents “shelter at home.”
Virtual activities, cultural programming, even Saturday evening concerts are part of a broad array of complimentary offerings Reynolds is providing to its residents. One of the highlights is the Saturday evening Living Room Live Concert series, which debuted with the southern sounds of country artists Eric Dodd and Bruce Wallace serenading Members in their own homes.
A special hashtag—#ReynoldsTogether—has been created for social media so the Reynolds community can show the outside world, as well as one another, how they are weathering the current situation.
In early April, the community welcomed MyReynolds.TV, a new resource chock-full of programming on a wide variety of topics, everything from golf tips and happy-hour recipes to workout videos, culinary classes, and Linger Longer Living cultural events. While currently only for Members, easily available via the Member website and app, other audiences may soon be welcomed to enjoy the ever-broadening menu of shows, performances, and classes that the production team is filming and loading to MyReynolds.TV on a daily basis.
Executive Chef Derin Moore and the culinary staff have been cooking up a storm, providing to-go offerings from The National Tavern as well as twice-weekly grocery ordering and pick-up services for residents.
National and regional food purveyors have stepped up to source groceries for residents. In a win-win proposition, with their primary restaurant clients closed, the food companies have been very helpful deploying resources for the good of the Reynolds Lake Oconee community.
The National Tavern is offering lunch and dinner pick-ups every day: Call in advance and the food is brought right to resident’s vehicles. Additionally, a team of home-delivery drivers is ready to bring The National Tavern to residents. And with Easter upcoming, Chef has planned a delicious to-go menu for family celebrations.
Speaking of Easter, the events team keeps coming up with fun, new ideas every week to make sheltering in place a little easier. Among the latest amusements are a mobile Easter Egg Hunt and virtual trivia games.
Living and staying at Reynolds Lake Oconee has another advantage – getting onto the water. The marinas are open, servicing and launching boats onto the water, all with the proper safety precautions. With 374 miles of shoreline, what better place to practice social distancing while still enjoying the great outdoors?
Members also can regularly tune in to the dedicated website, where a wide range of information and activities, a calendar of upcoming virtual events on MyReynolds.TV, tips for safely engaging with neighbors and friends, information on grocery ordering and food pickup schedules, and much more may be found.
“None of this would be possible without the incredible attitude and resilience of the Reynolds Lake Oconee staff,” said Tim Hong, Chief Operating Officer for Reynolds Lake Oconee. “The Reynolds extended family has put in long hours while maintaining their characteristic good cheer and expertise, making it a little easier to get through these uncertain times.”
With everyone pitching in, Members are likely to see the same friendly faces, and while they may be in new roles, they remain as dedicated as they ever been to continue the drumbeat of what has come to be called “The Rhythm of Reynolds.”
The power of community is stronger than ever at Reynolds, where each day, new ways to come together while staying apart are keeping Members and employees safe, healthy, and united.
