Launch of new center in Port Dover next month
COVID-19 has taken a high toll on seniors, both in terms of mortality and the impact on their mental and social well-being.
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Many therefore will be heartened to learn that seniors centers in Norfolk County that fell dormant during the latest pandemic shutdown are re-activating with a full slate of programming planned for this spring and beyond.
In Port Dover, “perseverance” has been the good word for the past two years. Adam Veri, a past president of the Port Dover Board of Trade and chair of the Norfolk County Public Library, was in the midst of organizing a seniors center in the rapidly-growing community when the global pandemic was declared in March, 2020.
Thursday, Veri said he hopes to finally have lift-off in March. Veri isn’t sure how big it will be or when, exactly, the fun begins. The important thing, he said, is to get the ball rolling and build from there.
“It’s different to start a seniors center than to resume one,” Veri said. “Once programming is announced, hopefully new members will sign up.”
A new beginning is also underway at the Simcoe Seniors Centre.
When the pandemic struck, the Simcoe center had 550 members and was preparing to make the transition from the Adult Community Center on Pond Street to the former arena at the Simcoe Recreation Centre.
After a number of delays, that move took place last October. The Simcoe center got in a few months of programming but shut down around Christmas in response to the latest pandemic guidance. Suzie Wray, Norfolk’s supervisor of community programming, said activity at the Simcoe center resumes, in earnest, Feb. 28.
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Norfolk County is also overseeing a rejuvenation of the Seniors Center at the Delhi Friendship Center on Queen Street. The seniors center in Delhi threatened to fold soon after the pandemic was declared because members couldn’t gather and fundraise.
With their cash flow interrupted, the Delhi executive was unable to pay its bills and announced its intention to disband. Norfolk’s recreation department intervened and has since put together a plan to keep the Delhi chapter going.
Wray reports that activities at the Delhi center resumed earlier this month. Once the center builds up a head of steam, Wray said the county will organize the election of a new executive.
“The numbers are growing,” she said. “It’s still $20 a year plus some activity fees.”
Getting a move-on in Port Dover is a priority for Veri because the Port Dover Board of Trade is holding provincial grant money that needs to be spent by an approaching deadline. If it isn’t, Veri said the cash will have to be returned.
Veri said much of the $59,000 Trillium grant the board obtained on behalf of the seniors center has to be spent by the end of March. The board has also obtained a $100,000 grant from the Ministry of Seniors and Accessibility with a longer time-line for expenditure.
Two years ago, 300 expressed interest in joining the Port Dover centre. With an eye to a March opening, Veri sent out an email recently testing the level of interest in the community. Veri said he received 100 positive replies in two days and expects that to exceed 200 by next week.
The Port Dover center has been incorporated as a charitable non-profit organization. Other governance issues yet to resolve, Veri said, include drafting a constitution and a set of bylaws and the election of an inaugural executive. When the Port Dover center opens, it will be based in the Kinsmen Scout Hut at Kinsmen Park in Port Dover.