The
Senior Center’s Role in My Senior Life
Published
in Bellingham Herald September 2, 2013
Growing up in rural Southeast
Alabama in the 1930/40’s, I knew only one definition of “senior”: a member of a high school graduating
class. It was after marriage to an Air
Force fellow whose home was in Washington State that I became aware that
seniors are mature citizens who have their own club membership in the form of a
senior center! This awakening came about
as a result of visiting my old home place, and accompanying my mother to her
senior center once a week for the two weeks we were there. A van
picked up passengers throughout the county and delivered them to the center in
Troy. It was usually full, and passengers
were expected to make small monetary donations for the ride, as well as for
their lunches. My mother complained that
some of them “never put anything in” for either, but assured us that she always
put in her fifty cents! They played
Dominoes or Rook before lunch, had a half hour group singing session, ate, and
then it was time to go home. The weekly
trip was often the highlight of her week.
Ken and I made our home in
Bellingham, and when our children had flown the nest, we retired to
Ferndale. Remembering our senior center experiences
with my mother, Ken wanted to try out the one here. We found that time and location presented a
much different situation. The Ferndale
Senior Activity Center offered many activities to pick from, a daily lunch, and
it was open all day. It was true that
members were expected to “put in” considerable more money for lunch, and there was
a fee for joining, but any way you looked at it, membership was a bargain. Ken loved to play beanbag baseball, eat
lunch, and visit with people. I enjoyed
the book club, and volunteered with activities occasionally. There was something of interest for everyone. Then Ken became seriously ill. I was involved in his care until his death,
and so for several years, did not go to the center.
Now I am back, back into writing
short biographies for the newsletter, back into taking part in some of the
activities, and seeing the center’s purpose and contribution magnified. I am looking at my peers and realizing that
in serving in the form of volunteering, we are in fact fulfilling our own
needs, for the very act of volunteering makes us feel useful, and that we are
an integral part of the cycle of life, giving us reason for being here still.
It is true that there are games,
social events, bus trips, helpful information, work-outs, and
companionship. I see us, at a time in
our lives when we need validation, being encompassed in a warm blanket of
comfort and caring by those around us.
The senior center is a place that will always take us in, feed us, make
us feel welcome and useful, and at the end of the day assure us that we are a
part of the puzzle that makes up humanity.
Our membership is a microcosm of
society, from the ill and disabled to those still active and productive. We have a diverse leadership, actively
looking for innovative ways to manage the challenges of running such an
organization. From our manager to our
president, from our grants writer and board officers to our membership, we feel
fortunate to have such direction.
Today our center has its own small
bus for trips, and a fully equipped strength training room. We also boast our very own website, built for
us by 5 students from Professor Sheila Webb’s WWU journalism class. You may find us at www.ferndaleseniorcenter.org. We are “With It” seniors, who have a place to
go to find interests that fit our lives and lifestyles. We are the Jet Oldsters of the Ferndale
Senior Center.
