When you visit The Village at Brookwood, there is one person you are almost guaranteed to encounter. And you would be lucky.
Lela Robinson is the undisputed queen of her domain, a small gatehouse at the entranceway to this retirement community where she works as a security officer. From her perch, repeatedly, she opens the sliding glass window, leans out and without fail gives residents and visitors a hearty dose of her incredibly sunny, friendly disposition.
“Someone once said, ‘Can anybody be that nice?’” she recalls with a chuckle. “I can.”
But Lela’s positive outlook was hard-earned, through health and other challenges that prompted her to embrace her faith and change her ways. In addition to helping her father cope with dementia, Lela experienced a debilitating health challenge that required emergency surgery and impacted on her mobility.
“I went to church one Sunday and asked God for some blessings,” says the Burlington native. “I think you showed me something, God. God said that is not the plan for you. You let me fall but helped show me how to get up.”
Lela and her husband, David, live in Mebane and have a daughter, Taylor, and David’s son, Justin, lives in New York.
Lela worked for 15 years in textiles. “I did everything.” No job stumped her, from quilting to operating a lift truck. Recognizing Lela’s attention to detail and commitment to doing things right, she was promoted to quality control auditor. Other jobs followed, eventually leading Lela to The Village at Brookwood.
As the retirement community’s chief greeter, Lela appreciates the importance of her role.
“Customer service is really how you reflect on a place where you work,” Lela says. “You can’t just stick someone out here who doesn’t care. … I like to see people smile, so that they feel welcomed to come here. They are taking that vibe off me. That’s what the world wants – to be seen and accepted. Not judged. You have to be kind to people.”
Her friendly greetings and warm attitude are infectious, say those who know her well.
“Lela is a delight,” says April Mayberry, Executive Director. “Residents, team members and visitors alike constantly point out what a gem she is and the positive effect she has on them. Her spirit is really catching. It’s amazing.”
Lela takes great pride in making the best impression possible on behalf of The Village at Brookwood, including knowing everyone on a first-name basis and, in many instances, filling a void for residents whose family may not be able to visit often. “But they see me every day. I have one lady here who calls me just to talk.”
Her role is extremely important – and at times can make a critical difference.
“From a marketing perspective, Lela is the perfect personality to set the tone for a tour of our community by potential new residents,” says Betsy Huneycutt, Director of Sales & Marketing. “Our goal is to share The Village at Brookwood with warmth and smiles – from entering the gatehouse to exiting the gatehouse. Having met Lela first, our visitors are not surprised by our community’s friendly atmosphere.”
This, Lela knows.
“I know people who have said, ‘The girl at the gate – if it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be coming here.’”