SIDNEY — The Senior Center of Sidney/Shelby County had a very successful 2018 and is looking forward to a great 2019.
“We believe that we have the best value in town,” said Eileen Wiseman, executive director. “Our membership dues are only $30 per calendar year (or $2.50 per month) for in county residents and $35 per calendar year (or $2.92 per month) for those out of county. Once you are a member all activities and classes are free. The one exception is our open the public dances which occur two times a year.”
Her report continues:
We only have one requirement for membership. You must be 50 or better to join. If you are under 50 but married to someone over 50 who is a member, you may also join. You may visit two times before joining to see if we are a good fit for you. Don’t think we are a bunch of old people in rocking chairs. That is not the case.
At the end of December our members numbered over 900. We also had over 200 new members.
We had almost 40,000 visits to our Senior Center in 2018.
We are very proud of our facility. We have a great staff who goes above and beyond to make our members feel welcome and at ease. Many times, we have been told that the center has changed people’s lives and helped them through some tough times.
We have activities for all ages and abilities.
The Senior Center focuses on four areas; education, recreation, health, and socialization. Each one has its own unique value.
In the area of education, we offer computer classes, quilting, knitting and crocheting classes.
For recreation we offer many card games, bingo, shuffleboard, billiards, ping pong, chair volleyball, and aqua aerobics. One of our most popular activities is Move n Groove. For the less agile we also have chair exercise and chair yoga. We offer a wonderful walking track. This is particularly popular for people who like to walk, but cannot do so in the winter weather.
We also have a great choir. So if you like to sing, this is a great opportunity for you.
Health-related events include health luncheons, blood drives and seminars on health topics for seniors.
We also have two certified personal trainers to show our members how to use our fully equipped exercise room. They will also set up a personalized workout routine for each member. This is all at no cost to the member.
Socialization is a big part of our facility. We invite our members to come down just to see other people. They can come down and enjoy the facility without participating in any group activity.
As you can see, many of these areas overlap. We are continually trying to add new programs and improve others. We can do this because of our funders. They consist of Shelby County United Way, the city of Sidney and Shelby County commissioners. We also pursue any grants that are available and we have several fundraisers. We also rent out our facility as another source of revenue.
Our Senior Center Foundation works hard to raise funds so that our future is secure.
If any of these things sound good to you, stop by 302 S. West Ave. or call 937-492-5266 for more information. Our hours are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. until noon.
We hope to see you soon.
