A group of currently active members of the Greater Mill Creek Senior Program want to expand their ranks to not only include more older residents of the community, but younger ones as well.
They have several reasons, but the two primary ones are: Increase the visibility of the senior program in the area and ultimately establish a permanent senior center for the Mill Creek area.
Those were some of the results of the first strategic planning session for the senior program, which took place Monday, Sept. 13 at Mill Creek City Hall and drew approximately 20 people.
One of the steps toward drawing more people is a open house for the senior program that will likely take place in late October. The group decided to have a planning meeting for the as-yet unnamed event at 9 a.m. Sept. 27 at the senior program offices, located in the Washington State University Extension offices in McCollum Park, 600 128th St. SE.
The October event will mark the start of a senior program that is more aggressive in recruiting members and taking an active role in community affairs, including beginning an effort toward getting a senior center for Mill Creek and the surrounding area.
A drive for a senior center could include more than just local seniors, but the community as a whole, such as business people.
“We have to recruit from the larger community,” said Bill McElroy of the Mill Creek Rotary Club. “We need to start pulling in more resource people.”
Because the senior program lacks a center of its own, its programs take place at various locations around the Mill Creek area, including the Merrill Gardens Retirement Community and the WSU extension offices.
“Put it out to the community’s shoulders,” McElroy said. “This thing can be done. It’s a matter of reaching out and seeing what the future is.”
Attendees agreed to form several committees to work on strengthening various aspects of the senior program. Committees will focus on fund raising, programming, marketing and promotion and facilities.
“We have plenty of people out there, we just need to get them organized,” said Mary Ann Logerfo, the director of the Northshore Senior Center, which oversees the Greater Mill Creek Senior Program.
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