WCCOA's Featured Site

Our Featured Site: Wayne

Husbands and wives, mothers and daughters, and lifelong friends visit the Wayne Area Senior Center to learn something new, enjoy a nutritious meal, play card games, and enjoy the company of one another.

The site, managed by Barb Clark since it opened in 2008, is located in the Wayne United Methodist Church and is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

 

The Wayne Area Senior Center thrives on a family based atmosphere, where everyone looks out for one another.

 

The Wayne Area Senior Center

Many of the seniors who come in for programs and lunch also volunteer.

 

Volunteers come in all shapes, sizes, and ages, as is evident with one of Wayne’s most respected and cherished seniors, Aldora Johnston.

 

Johnston, who will be 100-years-old on November 19, has lived in Wayne since moving there with her husband in 1942.

 

She walks the two blocks from her home (when the weather cooperates) to enjoy time with her friends, many of whom she says she watched grow up, and volunteers at the center.

 

"It makes me feel great to volunteer," Johnston said.

 

The soon-to-be centennial credits her longevity to eating right and walking daily.

 

"I used to walk three miles a day, but the doctors said I should slow down," Johnston laughingly said.

 

When asked about her favorite memories as a child, Johnston mentioned her memories of growing up as one of 11 children.

 

"We had a large family and I’ll always remember my mother would get all of us around after dinner and she would play the piano and all of us children would sing," she said. "Even to this day, out of habit, I want to sing after I’m finished with dinner."

 

(Continued from E-Newsletter)

 

Carla Phillips, who enjoys going to the center on a regular basis with her mother, also volunteers.

Phillips helps serve lunch.

“Helping people makes me feel appreciated and useful,” she said.

 

Phillips, who often spends time with her grandchildren, has always liked the company of older adults.

“Even when I was a little girl I gravitated towards older people,” she said. “I always loved spending time with my grandparents and learning from them, and now I get to do the same thing with my granddaughter.”

When they’re not teasing each other about their friendly Ohio State versus Michigan rivalry or putting together cards for the homebound, the older adults at the Wayne Area Senior Center simply enjoy spending time with each other. The site thrives on a family atmosphere, and if you didn’t know any better, you would think they were one big family.

For more information on the Wayne Area Senior Center, contact Barb Clark at (419) 288-2896.