The center for the elderly reopens today; volunteers wanted
Mitchell Banks
BROWNSTOWN – At an organizational meeting on Wednesday, it was decided that the Brownstown Senior Citizens Center would be open five days a week, starting today.
During the rest of the year, the center will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday to Friday, with the exception of Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Brownstown Clerk-Treasurer David Willey attended the meeting and said money was not an issue to reopen the senior center, which has been closed since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
He said the key problem with reopening the center was finding help to keep the doors open.
Jackson County United Way has funded the center at 124 S. Main St in the past and will continue to do so, said Maci Baurle, executive director of the organization.
Baurle, who attended the meeting, said she was excited about the turnout.
United Way also funds senior centers in Crothersville, Freetown, Medora and Seymour and for the Meals on Wheels America program which delivers meals to seniors.
Baurle said there was an interest in trying to reestablish the Brownstown dining site.
Thrive Alliance, which operated a restaurant site at the center until March 2018, also plans to provide federal funding through the Older Americans Act.
No programming is planned for the center. In the past, older people have played euchre, card games and bingo, worked on puzzles, watched movies, and socialized. Other activities will be planned when the center reopens.
Transportation is currently not available so the elderly can be picked up or dropped off at the center, but a driver is being sought for future services. The center has a van for this purpose.
The city owns the building where the center is located. The city has rented the building on occasion, and it is available for such rentals at this time.
With the reopening of the center, volunteers are needed to help with the operations and the opening and closing of the center on a daily basis. If you’re interested, contact organizer Terry Jackson at 812-358-2578 or [email protected]