"Seniors helping Seniors" mentality thrives at Kimball Senior Center

Despite the sounds of the workers repairing the floor, the 26 seniors at the Kimball Senior Center spent time visiting with each other and settling in to partake of Thanksgiving lunch on Friday November 22. With smiles on their faces and food about to fill their stomachs.

Twenty-six is a rather large number of people for the senior center to see, considering their daily average of nine visitors. Despite the somewhat small number of seniors visiting the center daily, everyone stays busy.

Quilting is a big part of the senior's activities and they always welcome more to come and help. There currently are only two active quilters, Grethe Schoenemann and Claude Jones.

According to Schoenemann, no previous experience is required to join in.

"You don't need to know anything, we'll teach you," said Schoenemann.

Jones even goes so far to say that you don't even need your own supplies to be a part of their group.

"You don't even need a needle, we'll give you that. All we need is your time," adds Jones.

The quilts are raffled off and the money raised is applied to the maintenance of the senior center, which is, at minimum, $500 dollars a month. The money from the raffles is just one way the seniors keep their beloved building running.

The annual rummage sale plays a big part in raising funds. Anyone can donate items for the rummage sale. After the donations are received the seniors sort and then sell the items. Gloria Barkley has been in charge of several rummage sales in the past and relates how it's nice to see regulars and visit with them. A special feature of the rummage sale is the Saturday bag sale, where they sell garbage bags for a dollar and then the consumer can fill up their garbage bag with items from the sale. Another way the seniors benefit from the rummage sale is all the social interaction.

"We enjoy visiting with everybody, and it brings us closer too, when we work together like that," said Barkley.

With the annual rummage sale past, the next activity the senior center has planned is the Soup Supper. This event will be held on Saturday, November 30. Soup will be served as a dinner before and after the Parade of Lights. Tickets for the quilt raffle will be sold and a good time will be had.

"We are older. There's nothing wrong with our minds, our bodies don't like us," explains Katie Ryan, president of the Kimball senior center.

According to Ryan, Mrs. Sulu's high school Spanish class and the STAND club are going to help out at the Soup Supper. The volunteers will sweep the floors, help with drink refills, and assist in the cleanup work.

Ryan hopes that more people will start showing up to the senior center daily. More people would mean more activities and in turn more money to keep the center up and running smoothly.

At the hub of it all, there is a real purpose in the Kimball Friendship Senior Center.

"I created a saying, seniors helping seniors, and I really firmly believe that, we help each other," said Ryan.

The senior center is a place for friendship and purpose. Many who live alone, just moved to town, or feel a need to get out of the house make their way down to the senior center for a day of socialization with friends. The Kimball Friendship Senior Center welcomes new seniors to stop by and get to know everyone.