Final funds distributed by Senior Citizens’ Activity Centre
Just over a year after closing their doors, the executive from the Senior Citizens’ Activity Centre in Swift Current have distributed the last of the funds remaining in their charitable bank account.
Low attendance numbers at their programming spelled an end to the Activity Centre on September 30, 2017, as they sold their building and sold off all the furnishings and fixtures in the building before they wrapped up operations.
Senior Citizens’ Activity Centre treasurer Bernie Sorensen noted they made an initial $50,000 payout of their excess funds in January of this year, but they found a series of charitable organizations to distribute their final $5,000 to close out their account before the end of the year.
In January of this year they made the following donations totalling $50,000:
Royal Canadian Legion Swift Current Branch #56 - $10,000 Fraternal Order of Eagles $5,000
Swift Current SPCA - $5,000 Swift Current Library $5,000. Salvation Army Swift Current - $5,000
Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation $5,000
Lyric Theatre - $2,000 STARS Air Ambulance $5,000
Kiwanis Club of Swift Current - $3,000 Canadian Blood Services $5,000.
The Board of Directors from the Centre held a final celebration banquet to salute those involved over the history of the Senior Citizens’ Activity Centre.
“The dinner we had was basically a thank you to the seniors that started the organization, and to some of the others that followed in after they left, because we’ve had different presidents, treasurers and secretaries,” Sorensen explained. “Over the years they sold memberships, they organized programs, they had dances, and then of course they had shuffleboard, floor shuffleboard, pool games, and cards for entertainment.”
“It was a perfect meeting place for seniors to meet other older seniors for friendship and conversation.”
Swift Current had a Senior Citizens’ Activity Centre in the downtown core since the early 1970s, but a variety of factors led to a slow but steady decrease in attendance over the years. The Centre used to host events attended by over 200 people, however attendance dwindled over the years and some activities in their final years were cancelled because no one was showing up.
“As years passed by, a lot of the seniors had to go to homes, where they had the same entertainment we did at the Seniors’ Centre.”
In order to close out their bank account before the end of the year, they have made the following donations: Shriners Hospitals for Children - $8,000
The Meadows Auxiliary $3,000
Southwest Crisis Services $4,000
STARS Air Ambulance $4,000
The remaining approximately $2,553 was being donated to the Swift Current Salvation Army in support of their Christmas Campaign.
“That’s the end of our story pretty well,” he smiled.
He added that the board members, and ultimately all those that supported the Senior Citizens’ Activity Centre over the years, will be happy to know that their efforts have had an impact on those various organizations.