LOWELL — The third Thursday of every month is a can’t-miss event for Lowell senior citizens.
That’s the day the Lowell Recreation Association schedules activities for the town’s senior citizens at First Baptist Church of Lowell. The day includes lunch, games and socialization, and an entertainer or a guest lecturer.
The whole get-together is free of charge. Senior citizens can make a contribution if they wish, but they are not required to do so.
“If you talk to them, they’ll say, ‘This is on my calendar; I don’t miss this,’” says Missy Beeman of Lowell, who is on the recreation association board. “‘I rearrange my doctor’s appointments to make sure I don’t miss this meal.’”
Because of the popularity of these activity days, the board has long wanted to build a full-time establishment for Lowell’s senior citizens, a place where they could go several times a week instead of once a month.
That dream is nearly a reality, as the J.B. Hunt Transport Senior Activity Center in Lowell is scheduled to open in late July or early August. It cost in excess of $700,000, says board President Greg Stanfill of Lowell, and is being built with a combination of private donations and a federal grant. The association is still in the process of raising money, which Stanfill says is needed to fullyequip the kitchen.
That’s important, because for some of those who will make use of the activity center, the meal they get there may be the most nutritious of the day.
Other senior citizens in Lowell may have regular access to nutritional meals at home but are lacking in social interactions. The current activity days have bingo games and door prizes, but there will be opportunities to do a lot more at the new center.
“As we get older and health problems come up, it’s easy for us to not leave our houses as much, to not leave the TV and the recliner,” says Greg’s wife, Sonia, another member of the recreation association board. “I think it’s vital to them to still maintain relationshipsand have something to look forward to, to get out of the house. The brain needs to be stimulated to stay active and sharp.”
The board has long sought to bring in engaging speakers to its activity days. Sometimes these are entertainers, but often they are experts in their field - people who can provide senior citizens with important information.
On the day Sonia Stanfill and Beeman were interviewed, the speaker was talking about hearing loss. Doctors have been brought in to discuss a wide range of health issues related to aging, while other months, the speaker has been someone from the Social Security Administration, engaged to talk about changes toSocial Security and Medicare benefits.
There have been day trips to places like Branson, something that will continue at the new center.
“There was no place until this was started for seniors to go to have fellowship, to interact, to keep them engaged in the community,” Stanfill says. “They could go to church on Sunday, but there was no activity place for them. They get here at 9:45 [a.m.] for an 11:30 meal.
“We want them to stay engaged in the community.”
The Lowell Recreation Association became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1999, but its origins go back further than that. Years before, Lowell Park received a $5,000 donation from a church that wasclosing its doors.
The late Earlene Scruggs, then the chairman of the Lowell Park Committee, opened a bank account, and the money was used as needs arose. After Scruggs died in 1996, her daughter suggested a nonprofit organization be startedto address recreational needs in Lowell.
Stanfill and Beeman are natives of Lowell, and both cite Scruggs as a role model. Scruggs was someone whose life revolved around her family and community, and she was always looking for ways to improve the quality of life for all of Lowell’s citizens.
Although Scruggs did not live to see the founding of the center or the activity days that preceded it, the women say she would have been proud of both.
“Without a doubt, and I think I can talk for both of us - she taught us what it meant to be a part of the community,” Stanfill says. “She was such a guiding force. She didn’t just work here and live here; shemade it better.”
After the activity center opens, it will be administered by the Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Arkansas and the Office of Human Concern. Greg Stanfill says the plan is to hire a full-time director to handle day-to-day operations.
For more information about the J.B. Hunt Transport Senior Activity Center, call Greg Stanfill at (479) 770-1001 or Lowell City Hall at (479) 770-2185.
Northwest Profile, Pages 31 on 06/03/2012