There will be a double celebration at the Great Bend Senior Center Saturday, Feb. 2.
Both the center, long a haven for activities for the city’s more mature residents, and its spunky Director Rosy Tomlin will observe 25 years of service. The event will take place from 2-4 p.m. at the facility, 2005 Kansas.
“It will be quite a day,” Tomlin said. “I’ve been around as long as it has.”
The center opened on Dec. 15, 1987. Tomlin went to work there on Feb. 2, 1988.
“I started as a dispatcher,” she said. She worked closely with the first Director Sharon Engle for a year and a half before taking the helm herself.
“I love the people,” she said. “I just enjoy being around them.”
There have also been times of reflection, she said. In 1998, she was presented with a quilt featuring the names of 209 center regulars, however only about 30 of them are still living.
In the quarter century, she’s seen a lot of changes, especially in the form of new state and federal regulations. “They keep throwing stuff at us,” she said.
The job involves coordinating programs such as the public transportation and Friendship Meals, as well as working with the Great Bend Recreation Commission and the Southwest Kansas Area Agency on Aging. There are also entertainment, games and other special events, and working with various volunteers.
The City of Great Bend owns the center’s building and it receives funding through a mill levee. It has an eight-member board of directors and a 12-member advisory council.
The Kansas Department of Transportation reimburses a portion of the transportation cost. ElderCare is responsible for the Friendship Meals, but the center provides the site and cooking facilities. Money raised via meal fees goes to ElderCare.
For more information, contact Tomlin or the center at 620-792-3906.