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Panel seeks input on senior center |
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Wednesday, 25 June 2008 |
By KELLY DANIELS
Starkville Daily News
"It's the most wonderful place in the world," says the founder of a senior enrichment center in Morton.
This Scott County town of about 3,400 people, located west of Forest and east of Jackson, offers senior citizens a place to go in order to play card games or drink coffee with one another, thanks to the efforts of Yvonne Laird.
A Starkville committee seeking to develop a senior enrichment center asked Laird for pointers during a Monday meeting.
"I've been an aging advocate for many years long before I became an aging person," said Laird, a former officer in the Department of Human Services.
Five years ago, Laird took what she called a step of faith when opening the center, which is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays.
It offers services ranging from exercise to ceramics to grief classes once a week for people who have lost spouses.
Laird has a lot of planned activities and field trips at the request of participants who also plan them.
"It's not our center, it's theirs," she said.
"We had a segment of the population that didn't quite need in-home respite care and take-home meals, but since they were retired, they needed a place to go for some interaction and an activity," Laird said
On the last Monday of the each month, Marathon Monday, participants play Rook for 12 hours.
"Friday, we had no plans, but 16 showed up for dominoes," she said. "It's not a fancy place, but a place that they call home," she said of the simple room with a roller cart, a refrigerator and a microwave.
Yvonne encouraged the committee against procrastinating in its plans.
"I don't think you have to wait until you get it all together to do it," she said. "Do it now. It's kind of like having children; if you wait until you can afford them, you'll never have them."
"We have the best PDD in the state and you've got an executive director who wants to make this happen," she said, referring to director of the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District director Rudy Johnson.
"I want action," said Jim McKell, who serves on the local community action committee.
"Even if it's a temporary place, if we can just meet at a place and see results, that will contribute to us all doing more planning."
The committee's discussions concluded with decisions on what type of room and activities committee members want.
They decided a 20-foot by 20-foot room was needed and would need to be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ceramics or painting classes were also discussed. Retired professors who would like to teach classes can contact Georgia Murphy at 320-6935 or via e-mail at gmurphy029@ aol.com.
Anyone who has information on a viable facility can contact Jim McKell at 323-1134 or via e-mail at
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 26 June 2008 )
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