Guernsey County Senior Center celebrates 50th anniversary

Senior residents of Guernsey County find the senior center a great place to meet friends, have lunch, play games, and be entertained. This meeting place today had its start 50 years ago. The mission of the senior center is to promote the nutritional, physical, emotional, social, and economic well-being of older adults, and to promote their participation in all aspects of community life.

In the early 1970s, local businesspeople and civic clubs strongly believed society had a cultural and moral obligation to take better care of our senior citizens. John Tingle, director of the Community Action Program, was the driving force behind the incorporation of the senior center. Judy Brockwell-Simcox served as the first executive director.

In June 1972, the Guernsey County Committee on Aging was incorporated. After several name changes, in 1996 it became Guernsey County Senior Citizens Center, Inc., the organization we know today. That first senior center was located in the old WILE building on Beatty Avenue. Meals were prepared at the Second United Presbyterian Church and made available through grants. One of their early projects was a quilt with embroidered scenes of Cambridge made by the ladies at the center.

For many years, the Guernsey County Senior Citizens Center provided services on Wheeling Avenue where CVS Pharmacy now resides. It was deeded in 1977 to the commissioners, free of charge, from the Corwin family for senior citizens' use and benefit. Meals were provided by GMN-Tri-County until 1989 when the senior center took over meal management and home-delivered meals.

Finally, in 1999, they were able to build a new facility under the direction of Executive Director Sandy West and relocated to their present site at 1022 Carlisle Ave., which many remember as being the home of Capital Bowling Lanes.

The current senior center was the long-time passion of Harold Davis, a retired contractor and community volunteer. With the help of his son, architect John Davis of Davis Architectural Group, plans were created for the building. Their passion for giving back to the community proved to be a father-son project that would inspire many. It continues to be a place that senior citizens can appreciate and enjoy for years to come.

After West's retirement, Shon Gress was hired in 2001 to serve as executive director of the senior center. Under his leadership, many new activities have been added and the center has received funding from many sources due to its location in Appalachian southeastern Ohio. Some of the popular services are Meals on Wheels, senior transportation, health screenings, wellness assessments, and legal assistance.

The monthly senior dinners that include entertainment bring a packed house to the center. All services provided by the senior center are provided on a donation-only basis for those age 60 and old.

At the age of 50, residents can become social members of the senior center for a donation of $7 a year. Social memberships at the previous senior center totaled 325 to 350 a year. At the new facility, that number is now more than 1,500.

Meals on Wheels served more than 142,000 meals in a recent year. The senior center is the only facility that prepares and distributes these meals.

During the pandemic, home-delivered meals increased from 550 to 600 per weekday to more than 2,000 meals being prepared and delivered daily for almost a two-year period.

While the main site for the Guernsey County Senior Center is on Carlisle Avenue, there are several satellite sites that serve residents. These include Cumberland United Methodist Church in Cumberland, Stop Nine Senior Center in Byesville, Pleasant City United Methodist Church in Pleasant City, Freeport Masonic Lodge in Londonderry, and Cambridge Heights Apartments,.

There are plants to open two new satellite sites in 2023; one in Old Washington and the other in Quaker City. These will have senior congregate dining as well as the popular grab and go lunches that can be picked up from your car.

“The center is celebrating 50 years and we couldn't be more thankful for the leaders before us who helped pave the way and set us on a course of remarkable accomplishments and community-based service,” Gress said.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Guernsey County Senior Center celebrates 50th anniversary