MEAAA’s First Senior
Center Still Going Strong After 37 Years
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It was the place to
be in ‘73, and it’s still a community mainstay
today. The Wentzville Senior Center, housed in a building
that dates to the 19th century, offers not just a daily lunch,
but live music, quilting, Wii games and many other activities.
Known to the seniors of the city as the Wentzville
Green Lantern Senior Center — after the name of a popular
restaurant that used to operate in the space — it sports
green chairs and green lanterns on the tables.
From Doris Denny, the center’s first administrator,
to Mimi Bray, the current director, the center has been the
main activity spot for Wentzville’s older adults for
almost four decades.
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Wentzville
Senior Center particpants pause to pledge allegiance to the
flag before lunch. |
If you’re 65 now, just applying for Social Security,
you were only 28 when the center opened in 1973. As a young adult,
you may have given your grandmother a ride to the center then, and
now you’re enjoying the programs there yourself.
The city bought the building from the Wentzville School
District using Community Development Block Grant funds. The city,
long a strong supporter of its center, has used other grant funds
over the years to add a park area, parking lot, solar heat and other
improvements to make the center a warm, inviting place to visit.
"We have Meals on Wheels volunteers from the
Rotary Club, Faith United Church and Clever Center for the Handicapped,"
says Eileen Cushman, MEAAA area supervisor who oversees the Wentzville
center. "Sometimes, these volunteers are the only people seniors
see all day. The volunteers not only deliver food, but they can
bring other information about services available to the seniors."
A crafts group has operated at the center since the
very beginning, and makes gift items and quilts that the center
sells to raise funds. A Senior Center Support Committee holds parties
at the center, and over the years has made many donations to the
center, including new blinds, a pool table and much more.
To learn more about the center or to make lunch reservations,
call 636-327-8720. The center is located at 506 S. Linn St. There
is no charge for the center’s services, but participants have
the opportunity to make voluntary tax-deductible contributions to
help maintain and expand services.
Photo caption: Wentzville Senior Center particpants
pause to pledge allegiance to the flag before lunch.
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