Master of ceremonies Fannie Gibbs brings youthful energy to Leesburg nursing home

LEESBURG - With a microphone in her hand, Fannie Gibbs becomes a cheerleader, teaser, champion and friend. At age 91, she's been a resident of Avante Center, a nursing home and rehabilitation center in Leesburg, for the past five years. Recently she found her calling and took charge of the microphone at special events at the facility to become a motivation for other residents and master of ceremonies.

"Before I was hired, I heard she didn't participate," said Stacey Cross, activity director. "We were playing music and I gave the microphone and that's when the magic happened."

On a recent Friday Dancercize party with a dozen or so residents and staff at Avante, Gibbs started her spiel to the music of "Blueberry Hill" and "Blue Suede Shoes" singing to the chorus and encouraging others.

"Come on, Connie, come on, Connie," she encouraged her friend as staff went from resident to resident to get them up and moving, or at least a smile.

"She gets on the microphone and encourages others to get into the music," Cross said. "She's so quick on her feet, she knows how to work with the music and she's funny too. The way she relates to the people, you forget she's a senior citizen."

Soft spoken and cheerful, Gibbs says the ideas of what to say just come to her.

Gibbs grew up in Lake Wales, but was stricken with polio at age 5, which knocked her out of school and everything else, she said. Some time before 1972, she was operated on in St. Petersburg for polio and had to learn how to walk on crutches. Today she is wheelchair-bound.

"She magnifies those things we take for granted," Cross said. "By enabling us to enjoy those things, it re-educates us to take the time out of our busy schedule and smell the roses."