Open Mic

Retina Foundation volunteer Mary Lee Cox has made a career of volunteering. She has spent more than 40 years devoting her time to causes that are near and dear to her heart. Because of this selfless devotion, Edgemere senior living community is recognizing Cox as the fourth recipient of the 2010 Edgemere Salute to Seniors Award.  Jean Buys, development director for Retina Foundation of the Southwest, nominated Cox for the honor.

“Mary Lee is a leader who inspires others and has a very kind heart,” said Buys. “She is on the Board of Directors for the Retina Foundation and has chaired an event called Racing for Sight that raised over $400,000 for our eye research. She is the current chair for our PR committee. She has been such an asset to our organization.”

The Edgemere Salute to Seniors Award is presented quarterly to honor an individual who is making a difference in their community.  Qualified nominees are active adults age 62 and above who volunteer their time and talents to their communities, and who also exemplify leadership, spirit, and citizenship.

“Mrs. Cox is well known in the Dallas area for her service to her community,” said Tori Mallad, director of sales and marketing at Edgemere.  “She is passionate about serving the Retina Foundation and is a strong supporter of the research they do.”

“Staying active is important to your well-being – it keeps your mind functioning, your health is better because you are vital and active; and, in truth and fact, it makes you feel young and actually keeps you young,” said Cox. “Giving back to others through volunteering is so rewarding. I cannot imagine my life without volunteering, nor would I want to.”

Cox has donated her time to a large number of organizations in the Dallas area. One of her earliest memories of volunteering was making deliveries for Meals on Wheels with her then preschool aged children by her side to teach them the importance of helping those in need.

She has served on many boards, as president, event chair and committee chair, for many organizations through the years. She is a past president for the Society for Abandoned and Neglected Children, Inc., she co-chaired the Genesis Mother-Daughter Luncheon with her own daughter, is the founding president of the Jesuit Women’s Auxiliary, past president of the Women’s Board of the Dallas Arboretum and past president of the Kappa Delta Alumnae of Dallas and Kappa Delta Association of Texas.

Cox is a teacher by profession, and has degrees from both SMU and UNT. Her hobbies include writing, SMU Football, reading and fashion. She currently resides in Dallas, and enjoys spending time with her four children, their spouses and especially her nine grandchildren.

The Retina Foundation of the Southwest, an independent, non-profit research organization, opened its Tom and Dorothy Anderson Vision Research Center in 1982 with two lead researchers. Today, the Foundation has grown into one of the leading independent vision research centers in the United States, with a staff dedicated to finding the causes, treatments and potential cures for blinding eye diseases. Along the way, the Foundation has made a life changing difference in the lives of patients who suffer from retina related diseases. For more information, visit www.retinafoundation.org.

ABOUT EDGEMERE

With 304 independent living apartment homes, 60 assisted living suites, 31 memory care private apartments, and 72 private rooms for dignified skilled nursing, Edgemere is the largest and most comprehensive life care senior living community in Dallas.  The community is located in the Preston Hollow/Park Cities area at 8523 Thackery Street at Northwest Highway, Dallas, Texas 75225.  The Plaza Health Services at Edgemere, located on the same campus at 8502 Edgemere Road at Northwest Highway, offers assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory support services for Edgemere life care residents, as well as for others in the community. 

Edgemere is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit senior living community sponsored by Senior Quality Lifestyles Corporation (SQLC), a Texas-based nonprofit organization that sponsors sister communities The Buckingham in Houston, Querencia at Barton Creek in Austin, The Stayton at Museum Way under construction in Fort Worth, and Mirador under construction in Corpus Christi.  For information, visit www.edgemeredallas.com, or call (469) 619-0825.