Submitted by Maria Reed, Administrator

All of the leaves are falling and it is so beautiful out with all the colors blowing in the wind. The center has been buzzing with holiday planning and brainstorming new, fun activities for our senior citizens to enjoy. Bingo has come to an end, sadly, until spring. There are flyers at the center and churches of Rock Port for anyone interested to sign up and give ideas. These sign-up sheets do not bind you to joining. We are just trying to get a picture of what the seniors in our community would be interested in at the center. Some ideas include card games, arts and crafts, social hours with cocoa and doughnuts. We welcome all ideas.

The kitchen floor was resurfaced by Midwest Concrete on October 11. Several volunteers came in to help move equipment out of the kitchen and put equipment back in once the floor was ready. A special thank you to the Rock Port High School PE class and instructor for coming in to assist. Friends and family of staff were also present. The Senior Center is very appreciative for all the work our volunteers do. This project was made possible with funding appropriated by the Missouri General Assembly from the Senior Services Growth Development Fund. The funding is overseen and dispersed by Young at Heart Resources, the Northwest Missouri Area Agency on Aging.

This year has just flown by and the holiday season is here. In honor of veterans, we will be handing out certificates of honor and showing our gratitude for their service on Monday, November 11. Just let our servers know you are a veteran and we will be sure to show appreciation. Don’t forget to look for our ad in the paper for our annual Thanksgiving celebration November 21 at the center. We expect a full house. A fun “12 Days of Christmas” give-away will begin December 3. One patron per day will be randomly selected to receive a Christmas gift. Patrons may not win more than once. Rosita Stoner has made a beautiful Nativity Scene quilt and she is donating it to the center for a drawing. Just come in each day to get your name in the drawing. The drawing will be held at our Christmas Dinner on December 18.

As always, we appreciate all of our volunteers and those who donate to the center. We are always looking for volunteers to help deliver to our homebound clients. An added bonus is that volunteer hours are reimbursed by the state to the center, which helps feed the senior citizens in Rock Port. Not only are you taking a hot meal to someone who may not otherwise get one that day, you are also helping fund that meal. If you are interested in volunteering reach out to Maria at the center for more information. Each volunteer receives one free meal each time they volunteer. Call 660-744-5812 and let the kitchen know if you will be taking a meal.