SENIOR CENTER OFFERS WELCOMING PLACE TO GROW FRIENDSHIPS

Senior Dining, Public Transportation Among The Services

Mary Henderson sat with her friends at a corner table in the Edgefield County Senior Citizens Council dining room. Asked what she most enjoys doing at the Senior Center, she did not hesitate.

“I love to sing,” Henderson said, her voice lilting and filled with joy.

Prompted to demonstrate, the spirited lady burst into song, a full-throated display of heartfelt praise and worship that drew the attention of the entire dining room back to her place in the room. “Oh, Hallelujah! Hallelujah! I love to praise His Name! Hallelujah!”

The impromptu concert drew applause from the entire room. “Hallelujah!” is a sentiment shared by so many who find their way to this dining room during a typical week.

Truly, the Edgefield County Senior Citizens Council is a place where folks can find not just a hot meal but most importantly, meaningful connections with others. It is a mission the staff at the Senior Center take seriously.

“Basically, we take care of the seniors in Edgefield County,” said Shannon Eargle, Director of the Edgefield County Senior Citizens Council. “We offer group dining – which is a wonderful chance for people that don’t get out much, either due to illnesses or transportation. They’re able to come here, and they get a nutritious meal.”

With that brand of hospitality in such a welcoming setting, lasting bonds begin to grow among the folks served in the dining room, cheerfully dubbed The Village Cup. “We’ve started relationships with people; we’ve got a couple that are really tight now,” Eargle said with a gleam in her eye. “It’s boyfriend-and-girlfriend kind of stuff.”

Patrons at The Village Cup also may take part in a variety of activities. Henderson and her friends at the corner table had just finished a vigorous game of UNO when she delivered her spontaneous song. One of the group, J.L. Calhoun, spread a deck of UNO cards in front of him like an Old West card shark.

“I enjoy spending time with these people – sometimes playing games, sometimes talk, sometimes just be quiet and listen to them,” he said. “Just to mingle with people.”

Wilburn Jackson, another of the card circle, said her time at the Senior Center helps keep her sharp. “I love coming up here because I live by myself, and I love to be around people – be around people that keep your mind occupied,” she said. “When you’re by yourself and you don’t have nobody to talk to, your mind starts fading away.”

Peach Blossom Express Offers ‘Friendly Face’

Care of their patrons’ mind, body and spirit is an essential element of the Senior Citizens Council’s daily work. Drivers on the organization’s popular Peach Blossom Express bus transportation routes also deliver meals to seniors around Edgefield County, combined with daily well-being checks of the folks they serve.

“We’ve got close to 65 clients, on average, that we deliver to per day,” Eargle said. “That’s frozen and hot meals. The reason we have to do frozen because we’ve got some that are just so far out there…We take care of them. They see a friendly face every day. We check on them; we’ve had instances where they’ve fallen, and we’ve had to call 911. A lot of them don’t have family members to check on them, so that’s a good thing, I think.”

Indeed, the nine buses of the Peach Blossom Express crisscross the 500 square miles of Edgefield County from the early morning hours to late in the afternoon five days a week. At other times, the drivers may be found transporting clients far afield of the immediate area for a variety of appointments, including medical care and other needs.

“We pick up clients in Edgefield County, but we can take them to Charleston. We’ve gone to Atlanta. We do a lot of Greenville trips,” Eargle said. “We take them to Greenwood, Augusta – wherever they need to go.”

Bus passengers have to make reservations three business days in advance to schedule travel. Unlike the dining in the Senior Center’s Village Cup, which is open only to residents age 60 and up, the Peach Blossom Express is available as a public transportation option for all residents of Edgefield County.

“Anybody under 18 has to have an escort,” Eargle said. “In fact, our supervisor of transportation even picked up a newborn baby and her Mama one day. We’re there for anything.”

Providing public transportation to more Edgefield County residents offers a fertile opportunity for growth at the Edgefield County Senior Citizens Council. In fact, the organization currently has a few paid driver positions available on the Peach Blossom Express, and the Center is always open to volunteers willing to assist with home-delivered meals and group activities.

Building Relationships At The Village Cup

The Village Cup is the daily hub of activity. In addition to the group playing UNO at one table, another group near the front of the room was working on a puzzle together. Still others were sitting, chatting and catching up on the latest village news and gossip. At the center of the room, activities director Cindy Hatfield was setting up for a group game.

“They just did a trivia game yesterday,” Eargle said. “They play chair volleyball. Every Thursday, we do bingo…They take it very seriously.”

Though they pour their daily labor into the lives of the folks they serve, the staff at Senior Citizens Council also receive so much in return.

“We used to have a client that came up here every day. She’s no longer with us, but she had breakfast with me every morning,” Eargle recalled. “And she said, ‘I don’t what to do on the weekends because I can’t come up here.’ That just makes your heart feel good. She loved it up here.”

For those interested in learning more about the activities offered by the Edgefield County Senior Citizens Council, to volunteer, or to join the team of drivers for the Peach Blossom Express, visit the organization’s website or call them at (803) 637-5326. The center is located at 15 Center Spring Road, Edgefield, adjacent to W.E. Parker Elementary School.

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Tony Baughman

Administrator

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