By Robert Doherty
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

"I’m knee deep in volunteering here," says Kay McManus, who moved to Brooksby from Lynn. "I didn’t come here to retire, I came here to live and that’s what I’m doing."

Kay, who is involved in many of the clubs, classess, and volunteer groups at Brooksby, is most known for being one of the founders and first Queen Mother of the Red hat society.

Brooksby Belles
"Another resident and I went to Salem State College. We were classmates. We majored in business organization. Friends we knew there asked us to organize a Red Hat chapter at Brooksby," says Kay. "so we started the chapter and we named it the Brooksby Belles."

The national Red Hat Society has over 300,000 members and over 17,000 chapters across the United States and in 20 foreign countries. Chapters follow no rules, believing that having fun and enjoying each other’s company is what really matters. The Red Hat Society’s motto is ‘Red Hatters Matter’ and you will surely agree if you are able to spend just a few minutes with a Red Hatter.

Extend friendships
Although most Red Hat Society chapters have 20 members, at Brooksby, there are nearly 190 members. "When you are single, you need people to reach out to you. And that’s what the Red Hatters are—a way to extend friendships and make people feel welcome," adds Kay.

"It's for that same reason that I organized the Lynn Red Rockers."

The Lynn Red Rockers are a group of people who moved to Brooksby from Lynn. it has about 60 members. "We have meetings; we go to places like the Lynn Museum and historical society; we’ve had slide shows," says Kay. The group will even be going to see Debby Reynolds in April. "It’s a wonderful group and everyone wants to help."