After his father died in 2015, Milton Vice, in the midst of his grief, wanted to contribute to his community. A few months later, he joined the board of the South Richmond Adult Day Care Center.

Today, as board president, he’s working to more than triple the center’s capacity.

The goal: To find a new location large enough to accommodate 75 additional spots for participants since there is a long waiting list.

The center serves adults who need daytime care, supervision, socialization, exercise and meals. It once provided care and a safe space for Mr. Vice’s mother and mother-in-law. A new location will allow the center to handle even more activities and services.

Mr. Vice adds that the new space will include personal gardens, serve participants with dementia and partner with providers to offer physical therapy and other onsite services.

“If there has been a consistent challenge throughout the years, the size of our current 3,000-square-foot space is insufficient to enable us to serve all in need,” Mr. Vice says. “We could not be more excited at the idea of moving forward and what it can mean for the communities we serve.

Mr. Vice, a veteran of the financial and housing sectors, built his own real estate business, Richmond Mid-Atlantic Properties LLC, in Richmond’s South Side. He was recruited by the South Richmond Adult Day Care Center’s leadership to join its board of directors.

“I thought this would be a great opportunity to be more involved in the community and also helping the seniors in the Richmond Metropolitan area,” says Mr. Vice, who also is president of the Hull Street Merchants Association.

The center provides health checkups, activities, music and art therapy, discussions and special celebrations, all within the modest walls of its Hull Street headquarters.

Soon after he stepped into the role of president, COVID-19 emerged. Visits to the Center were limited to protect the health of participants. The Center paused donations and collaboration with partners including AARP, Virginia Career Works, Blackwell Elementary School and the Honey Hive Daycare & Preschool.

Mr. Vice and the board closed the center from March 2020 to August 2020 to prevent spreading the virus to vulnerable participants. While the Center’s doors were closed, the community’s needs grew.

“During that time, our waiting list grew substantially,” says Mr. Vice, noting that the choices made during the pandemic’s beginning kept participants safe but eager to return.

“We began to dream even more fervently of the ability to grow that would enable us to provide our excellent, affordable services to all who could benefit,” he recalls.

In the years since the Center’s reopened, Mr. Vice has been driven to expand the center’s size, reach and goals.

In nearing the end of his four-year term as board president, Mr. Vice’s desire to serve the community is stronger than ever. Reflecting on his time leading the Center’s board, he remains passionate about its benefits to Richmond’s older citizens.

“It was challenging and it was very fulfilling,” Mr. Vice says. “It’s been very interesting and a little hectic, but it’s all good.”

Meet an active and caring and person interested in the well-being of Richmond’s elderly population and this week’s Personality, Milton Vice:

Volunteer positions: Board president, South Richmond Adult Day Care Center, and board president, Hull Street Merchants Association.

Occupation: Owner, Richmond Mid-Atlantic Properties LLC.

Birthday: Oct. 8 in Richmond.

Where I live now: Henrico County.

Education: Varina High School. Virginia Commonwealth University.

Family: Wife Valerie, son Travis, and daughter Ashley.

South Richmond Adult Day Care Center is: A community-based, structured, supervised program serving older adults who are cognitively and physically impaired and no longer can remain at home alone. South Richmond Adult Day Care Center offers care and services to reduce isolation and promote mobility, wellness and socialization.

Participants benefit from regular health assessments and monitoring, music, arts and crafts, exercise, games, discussion groups, special celebrations, mid-day meals and nutritious snacks to improve functioning, memory and strength.

Mission: To enhance the health and quality of life of older adults and adults with disabilities by providing a structured, supportive, supervised, enriching and peer-interactive environment which can support wellness and promote socialization and emotional well-being. We aim to do the same for their families as well.

When and why founded: South Richmond Adult Day Care Center was established in 1975 by the joint efforts of the First Baptist Church of South Richmond and St. Stephens Episcopal Church. The vision was to create a program for older adults who had retired and would benefit from recreation and socialization.

The churches invite other organizations such as local communities and companies to support adult day health care ​ in meeting the needs of this special population and their families.

Location: 1500 Hull Street.

South Richmond Adult Day Care Center is funded: Funding comes from various organizations through grants, federal programs and participant fees.

No. 1 goal or project as board president: My goal is to continue to have continuity between the board of directors and the community we serve to make sure that this organization thrives.

Strategy for achieving goals: Hiring a realtor to search for a space to accommodate the growing needs of South Richmond Adult Day Care Center.

Visiting spaces with the director of South Richmond Adult Day Care Center, Mrs. Carnell Lewis. Reviewing the benefits of space and cost to find an option that fits the finances available to move South Richmond Adult Day Care Center into the new space.

No. 1 challenge: Finding a space with square footage and open space with office space, a kitchen, and large bathrooms.

South Richmond Adult Day Care Center is especially important for Black and Brown adults and their families because: African-Americans have not had the opportunities other races have. Jobs were not plentiful for the attendees we serve. Medical care was not available as it is today.

Low income can isolate seniors and the proportion of low income Black or Brown seniors is higher than other races. South Richmond Adult Day Care Center serves many attendees who earn nothing or are living below the poverty line.

Ways to get involved with South Richmond Adult Day Care Center as a volunteer or as an attendee: South Richmond Adult Day Care Center is on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. South Richmond Adult Day Care Center’s website is www.southrichmondadcc.org

You can call South Richmond Adult Day Care Center at (804) 231-9306.

How I start the day: I start my day with meditation. I then head to the gym for exercise for my morning workout. After that, I am now ready to seize the day.

The three words that best describe me: Attentive, caring and supportive.

If I had 10 extra minutes in the day: I would continue to serve others, which is a blessing to me.

Best late-night snack: Cashews and almonds.

The music I listen to most is: Smooth jazz and Motown sounds.

Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: I am a DIY (do it yourself) type of person, renovating home projects.

A quote that inspires me: We cannot change the direction of the wind. However, we can adjust the sail.

The best thing my parents ever taught me: Never give up and continue to put one foot in front of the other.

The person who influenced me the most: My father, Earl Vice, and mother, Reba Vice, were my biggest influencers.

Book that influenced me the most: “Protect Your Peace” by Trent Shelton. This book provided me with strategies for setting my vision and focus.

What I’m reading now: “Buffalo Soldiers” by Charles River.

Next goal: Travel to Egypt.