Do you know what goes on at your local Senior Centers? It is truly amazing. I had the chance to give a talk at the Mt Morris Senior Center a while back and was delighted to meet up with some of the residents that attended the function that evening. These were not just Mt Morris residents, they were parents of my fellow classmates. They were members of my church congregation. They were people who just love to get together and chit-chat and have a good time. And Forreston, did you know that they have a group of seniors that meet? Well sure and they have potlucks and such. What a great way for a community of residents to come together. Byron has the same thing going on. Polo, now as funny as it sounds I have been to Polo numerous times and just recently found them to be located in the downtown area. I even found a video online where they were discussing their building. Do you read the articles in the local newspapers about the activities that go on in Polo? I do and I am truly amazed by what these centers do for their residents. Rochelle too. I took a look at their website and was shaking my head. These people LOVE to get together. Well, let me tell you a quick story. If you all know my Grandma Stengel you knew that she loved to play the piano and show off her grandkids. Well, she used to get me up on the stage in the fellowship hall of Trinity Lutheran Church of Mt Morris and I would sing to those that attended Friendship Club. Friendship Club?? Well you better believe it back in 1965 or so people got together and played cards, or dominos or just sat and drank coffee/juice and chit-chatted. A little entertainment was okay. It was just a way to get people together. A couple of years ago I was asked to sit on the board of Rock River Center. My first question was WHY?? I didnt know the first thing about the Center. I knew quite a few of the people that went there. I had attended a fundraiser or two but other than that didnt really know too much about what goes on. Well, since being on the board I am actually seeing the time and energy that they Centers spend helping residents (Seniors). Did you know that they have caseworkers that help you with everything from income taxes, to medical situations? Did you know that they provide bus trips and will pick you up for Dr appts if you need them? Did you know that they have educational courses and fun activities that you can participate in? My gosh what these Centers do is... well too much to even imagine. And they do it on whatever they get from the government, or from United Way, or from the residents that support them. So it is very important that we have a way to generate a little extra day-to-day spending money if they need something fixed or want to purchase something new. This is one reason why I got involved in Whats Cookin. It was an idea that my husbands cousin and I have been thinking about and it is something that we hope will not just help Rock River Center, but will help Polo, Mt Morris, Forreston, Byron and Rochelle in the years to come. This is not just a one community event but it is something that we want to grow to an Ogle County event. Our motto for Whats Cookin is Having Fun...Helping Others. This is what it is all about people. We can help those that have helped us in the past and we can only hope that others in the future will help us. Pay it Forward. Hope to see you all at the upcoming Whats Cookin event at Oak Lane next weekend. Pray for good weather and a beautiful day to come together as a community helping others. Thank you for allowing me to place this and for your time reading it.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 21:44:50 +0000
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