Endorsements from colleagues and supervisors who have worked closely with Amanda.
It is my genuine pleasure to recommend Amanda Baxter for any activities leadership role. Since joining Spring Creek as our Activities Director in August 2025, Amanda has transformed the engagement and quality of life for our residents in ways that exceeded our expectations.
Amanda has an extraordinary ability to connect with residents across the full spectrum of cognitive and physical abilities. She designed our memory care programming from scratch, introducing sensory activities, validation therapy techniques, and structured daily routines that have noticeably reduced anxiety and agitation among our memory care residents. Families have repeatedly commented on the difference they see in their loved ones since Amanda's programs were implemented.
What sets Amanda apart is her creativity and dedication. She organized a "Now & Then Memory Wall" that became a favorite interactive feature for residents and visiting families. Her "Words of Wisdom" display, where residents share life advice, gave our community a profound sense of purpose and connection. She runs tournament-style game events, walking clubs, Bible study, and exercise groups — all carefully calendared and tailored to different ability levels.
Amanda manages her department budget with prudence, consistently finding ways to save for larger community events. She is organized, reliable, and maintains impeccable documentation for survey readiness. Our last state survey passed without a single deficiency in the activities department.
Beyond her professional skills, Amanda brings warmth and genuine compassion to everything she does. She treats every resident with dignity and makes each one feel valued. I recommend her without reservation.
I am writing to offer my strongest recommendation for Amanda Baxter, who served as our Director of Summer Activities from August 2024 through August 2025. In that time, Amanda managed our entire summer programming across multiple club sites, overseeing hundreds of youth and a sizeable staff — and she did it with remarkable energy, organization, and heart.
Amanda built a summer curriculum that was both fun and developmentally meaningful. She balanced STEM activities, arts, sports, and life-skills workshops in a way that kept kids engaged all summer long. Her scheduling was meticulous, ensuring every site had appropriate staffing and programming every single day. She managed the program budget effectively and built partnerships with local businesses that brought in guest presenters and resources at no cost to the organization.
What impressed me most about Amanda was her ability to connect with kids of all ages and backgrounds. She has a natural gift for making young people feel seen and valued. She was equally comfortable leading a high-energy game of capture the flag with a gym full of ten-year-olds and sitting quietly with a teenager who just needed someone to listen.
Amanda is a self-starter who requires minimal oversight but communicates proactively. She trained her staff thoroughly, maintained excellent safety records, and kept parents informed throughout the summer. Any organization would be lucky to have her.
I am absolutely delighted to write this letter of recommendation for Amanda Baxter. During her time as Activities Director at Mayberry Gardens from December 2022 through August 2024, Amanda built our entire Activities Department from the ground up — and I mean that literally. When she arrived, we had no structured activities program to speak of. By the time she left, we had a thriving, daily programming calendar that residents and families raved about.
Amanda planned activities 365 days a year and regularly led groups of 40 or more residents. She organized everything from indoor arts and crafts to outdoor exercise sessions, from live entertainer performances to holiday celebrations and community outings. She had a gift for reading the room — knowing when to bring energy and when to slow things down, and always making sure every resident felt included regardless of their mobility or cognitive level.
One of the things I appreciated most about Amanda was her financial discipline. She managed our Activities Department monthly budget with great care, consistently finding creative ways to save funds so we could put on larger, more memorable events for the residents. She recruited entertainers, scheduled performers, and built relationships with community partners — all without overspending.
Amanda also ran our monthly resident council meetings and published a community newsletter that kept residents and families informed and engaged. She managed our volunteers and their schedules with professionalism and warmth. Our residents adored her, and our staff respected her. She brought a sense of joy and purpose to Mayberry Gardens that we had not experienced before.
I recommend Amanda without hesitation. She is a builder, a leader, and a compassionate caregiver who will bring life and energy to any senior living community fortunate enough to have her.