How one Fort Myers family is celebrating Father’s Day amid the pandemic

Many of the holidays we are used to celebrating with family and friends look remarkably different in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Father’s Day is no exception.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office, South Trail Fire and Rescue, and lots of families had to get creative this year, so they decided to plan a parade for those at the American House Senior Living Facility in Fort Myers.

James Scarmozzino, whose parents reside at the facility, said, “We come here regularly so not to have any contact with the folks that are in here. A lot of them have dementia so we wanted to do something to get their senses going and just see something a little bit different.”

He said that because of the pandemic, they haven’t seen his father Nick in quite some time and they wanted to do something about it. By helping to plan the parade, he feels like he has.

“We had a little parade. It’s my father’s 90th birthday. My mother and my father, Nick and Dot Scarmozzino, are residents here. We haven’t been able to come in here for about 90 days so we wanted to do a little something for the fathers and for his birthday,” said Scarmozzino.

Not just for his own father, but it was good for a lot of the residents to see that people care and are looking out for them.

“It was the greatest feeling, especially with people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease just to see the fire trucks and the lights to get their senses going. It was a good feeling, especially on Father’s Day,” said Scarmozzino.