Zion Community Enterprise Strategic Plan of Action for the
Genevieve N. Johnson Senior Day Care Center in 2022 and Beyond!
Greetings Care Providers, Participants and Donors of the Genevieve N. Johnson
Senior Day Care Center! I am truly blessed with the opportunity to serve as the Chair of the Board of
Directors of Zion Community Enterprise. I am also truly pleased to share with you my prayerful vision of
Zion Community Enterprise’s motto “Healthy Families Make Healthy Communities” to be accomplished
by encouraging and empowering families through training, advocacy, crisis intervention, and other
community engagement programming. Zion Community Enterprise is intentional about focusing on the GNJ
Center’s growth and sustainability in keeping with their motto towards “Soaring To Create Moments of
Joy”. Under the energetic leadership of Sister Thelma Burless, the GNJ Center’s Executive Director, we are
actively engaged in creating a dynamic environment designed to enable families to successfully manage the
responsibility of quality care for an elderly or frail senior family member in order that they may be able to
comfortably remain in their home - and therefore maintain a reasonable quality of life for as long as possible
by providing rehabilitative, social and recreational programs, activities and services at the GNJ Center.
Moreover, I firmly believe that we owe a great debt of sincere gratitude to all of the staff members of the GNJ
Center who have given unselfishly of themselves through their time and talents to carry out this mission.
Since the transition of administrative and oversight responsibility for the Genevieve N. Johnson Senior Day
Care Center from the Zion Baptist Church Trustee Ministry to Zion Community Enterprise we have overseen
several major accomplishments to include, but not be limited to: (a) meeting with At-Large DC
Councilmember Anita Bonds who oversees the Senior Programs for the District of Columbia, (b) coordination
of a Genevieve N. Johnson Day on Sunday, May 15th with several proclamations attesting to her contribution
to the quality of life for seniors as well as the promotion of affordable housing development initiatives for
seniors in the District of Columbia, (c) continued expansion and sustainability of both the scope and impact of
programs and services of the GNJ Center, (d) expanding the visibility and impact of the GNJ Center to
include seeking additional funding through grants and sponsorship, (e) establishing a uniquely designed
Caregiver’s Lounge through a grant from The Washington Home that offers an innovative, compassionate
and well-managed program that will seek to improve the knowledge, skills and abilities of caregivers through
information and assistance, counseling, support groups, training/consultation, respite care coordination and
case management services, (f) moving forward with renovations and repairs to the Family Life Center, and (g)
proceeding with a comprehensive plan for the design and implementation of an affordable senior housing
development project at the Family Life Center to be known as the Genevieve N. Johnson Senior Residences.
However, we must also be willing to recognize that the Genevieve N. Johnson Senior Day Care Center today
is not the same as it was in previous times during the life of Zion Baptist Church. New public health, social
and economic challenges have arisen with new methods for resolution becoming necessary in order for us to
lay the foundation for those who will come after our tenure has eventually ended. In closing, on behalf of the
members of Zion Community Enterprise and the Zion Baptist Church family I wish to express my utmost
appreciation for all that each of you do, both individually and collectively, as a strategic partner, donor,
caregiver and participant at the Genevieve N. Johnson Senior Day Care Center and I eagerly look forward to
doing so much more with your help in the year 2022 and beyond!
of Zion Baptist Church.
