Senior Citizens Activity Center turns 15 years old
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.
By Mike Avitt
In the not too distant past several aged Ringgold County citizens saw a senior citizens center in their future.
A steering committee was formed consisting of Ruth Saville, Bill and Thelma Rusk, Joyce Smith, Bessie Parker, Donella Johnson, Lavena Wimer, Flo Bishop, Nina Saltzman, Leola Adams, Dorothy Main, Betty Snethen, Jane Lawhead, and Janet Hogue.
A building and finances were secured and the plan came together.
The building, at 110 North Taylor Street, was built in 1946 for Jack Hutchinson and Mick Snedeker and was first occupied by Marrs’ Radio Shop, Gunter Jewelry, and Dorothy’s Beauty Shop.
A fire burned off the roof in February 1996 but the building was repaired and was home to the South Central Alternative Academy for several years, until 2007.
The steering committee chose this site and the Mount Ayr Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting at the new Senior Citizens Activity Center on May 15, 2008.
Representing the center at the ceremony were Donella Johnson, Leola Adams, and Lori Haver.
A Grand Opening was held at the center on June 2, 2008 with Janet Hogue as the first director.
Jeannette Lutrick became the second director in January 2016.
The center was sailing along until March 2020 when COVID-19 shut down operations for thirteen months.
But, today, the center is as active as ever.
Doors open at 9 a.m. on Monday and Friday, and 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Coffee and card-playing are common but there is much more.
A potluck is held the second Tuesday of each month and the fourth Sunday is Snacks & Games day. There is an annual picnic in September and the annual New Year’s Eve party.
Activities wouldn’t be complete without, yes, BINGO! Bingo volunteers are Eleisa Murphy, Nancy McConnell, Kay Carey, Melanie Lane, and Lee Brand.
The center arranges bus trips, two or three each year, which have become very popular.
The trip to Washington, D. C. saw forty-five sign-ups.
Many other groups and organizations also use the center. Lions Club, PEO, and the Mount Ayr Chamber of Commerce have held meetings here.
The facility is rented out for birthday parties, family reunions, and other get-togethers.
Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) volunteers Dick Jackson, Jane Lawhead, and Kay Henderson serve clients from the Senior Citizens Activity Center, as well.
Last year the center received the Governor’s Volunteer Award. The helping hands have been many since the center opened fifteen years ago.
Currently the hostesses are: Bessie Parker, Wilma Schafer, and Wanda Adams.
So, are the members well-behaved?
Jeannette chuckles and says, “Well, the ‘kids’ here are seventy years old.” She indicates there is room on the roster for new members, so stop in and have coffee with the ‘kids.’
Fifteen years from now the ‘kids’ will be eighty-five and ready for a bus trip or a rousing round of BINGO!
