The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
SENIOR CENTER LOOKS TO GROW
Center in Lorain is open to all of Lorain County
Lorain-area seniors hope to make new friends by adding new members who can participate in the organization that operates the Lorain Senior Center.
Lorain Community Seniors Inc. oversees the Senior Center, a space for gathering and activities at 3361 Garfield Blvd. in Lorain.
Spring 2018 has brought a transition in leadership and a new desire to spread the word about the facility.
“More than just the cabbage rolls, there’s a lot to do here,” said organization Secretary-Treasurer Jeanne Stevens, referring to the first Stuffed Cabbage Cook Off held Feb. 25.
The community supper started as online banter over who had Lorain’s best recipe, then took off from there.
The fundraiser brought out 17 teams of cooks and at least 275 hungry supporters who savored every bite through hundreds — perhaps thousands — of cabbage rolls.
Since then, the nonprofit organization has entered a transition period, said Stevens and other board members.
They are seeking a new board chairman and president to follow Diane Mann and Nancy Cline, who held
"More than just the cabbage rolls, there’s a lot to do here."
— Secretary-Treasurer Jeanne Stevens
those respective positions.
“They dedicated their time and effort for many years,” said Beth Henley, Lorain’s Ward 1 councilwoman.
“But change needed to happen,” Stevens said.
They spoke about the Lorain Senior Center with board members Jackie Johnson, J.R. and Nancy Lee, and Rita Graham.
Also present were Mike Savioli and Anastasia Kapperman, who are consulting with the board on new growth plans.
Many of them shared personal reasons for getting involved.
The board members credited Stevens’ mother, Phyllis King, for her work
at the Senior Center.
Stevens noted her membership started when her mother signed her up.
Graham said her doctors recommended she get out more and the Senior Center is near her home.
Her husband, Carl, was one of the Senior Center staff laid off due to financial constraints, but he continues to volunteer there.
J.R. and Nancy Lee have become known in the community for their continuing work with Lorain’s Eastside Block Watch.
Nancy Lee also nabbed second place for her recipe in the Stuffed Cabbage Cook Off.
Johnson, who worked as a medical technologist specializing in chemistry, said upon retiring, she got involved in several projects as a way to give back to the
community.
Savioli is a member of the men’s fellowship group that meets every week at the Senior Center.
Kapperman said she grew up in northern Ohio, but lived in California and Georgia for her work.
Last year, she moved to Sheffield Lake to be near her daughter and granddaughters and a friend from church first brought her to the Senior Center.
“This is a whole new time now, so we’re excited,” Kapperman said.
Other board members are Bill Ferner, Pat Avalos and Pauline Garcia.
The Senior Center started in 1979.
Lorain Community Seniors is open to anyone age 50 or older for $10 a year.
The roster varies, but the Senior Center keeps about 160 to 170 members,
the board members said.
The Senior Center is located inside the former Jane Lindsey School, which served Lorain’s east side.
Henley recalled her sisters attending classes at the school, which sits in Lorain’s Ward 1.
Board members said people may think of the Senior Center in relation to Lorain’s east side.
However, membership and programs are open to any Lorain County senior.
The late-1950s building has a kitchen, gymnasium, gathering space and rooms dedicated to crafts, quilts, woodworking, yoga, physical fitness, weight loss and Boy Scouts.
The shops rely on donated goods, but have enough supplies for members to take on serious projects.
On a recent visit, quilts
and a display cabinet, in various stages of assembly, were on display in the rooms.
The quilt room has multiple sewing machines and at least three tables set up for quilters to spread out their materials and patterns.
The woodworking room has table- and floormounted power tools with an air cleaner and system to collect and filter dust.
Programs include bingo, walking, cards, exercise, sponsored lunches on the third Wednesday of the month, and more.
“So, it’s used for quite a few different things,” Stevens said.
The finances are “up and down,” as is attendance at programs, she said.
Lorain Community Seniors relies on membership, room rentals and donations; it does not receive any government funding.
The group has laid off its full time workers, but hopes to bring them back as the Senior Center adds members and raises money.
Board members noted Carl Graham will be the first one to return because of his hard work maintaining the building.
They also are brainstorming about events and programs for the summer, holidays and how to use the land at the Senior Center, which sits on 4.9 acres of land.
“We don’t want it to just be for the seniors,” Stevens said. “We want the seniors to be comfortable bringing their families here, too.”
The center is open 8 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesdays.