Continued from page 8
With seniors being more active
and living longer, the Senior Center
has now become a social club for
seniors, allowing them to socialize
and enjoy activities that seniors did
not enjoy in decades past.
“What was 40 or 50 years ago is
not like what we are today. We live
differently, we are healthier, there
are more opportunities to live longer,
so we have so many activities. We
[the new center] will have outdoor
activities, [and] since it’s 35 acres,
we will have plenty of room. We
will have 5ks and master chef and
master gardeners classes. We want
to have a greenhouse so that seniors
can do their own stuff and hopefully
have a place where they can live. So
now it’s On the Vine, and the second
phase is a development that will be
called Living on the Vine,” Mowery
said.
Right now, PCCOA provides free
services for people 60 and over,
including a Senior Center that allows
seniors to socialize, enjoy nutritious
meals, and participate in activi-
ties such as yoga, pool, bingo, and
woodcutting. There is also an onsite
food bank that provides seniors
with groceries, as well as providing
many other important services. In
2016, they delivered 54,500 lunches
through Parker County Meals on
Wheels. With less than 28 percent
of their funding coming from the
government, PCCOA is always in
need of donations or community
volunteers.
“We have just broken ground with
the new building and we haven’t
done a capital campaign, although I
think that we should, but we rely on
donations. Some people think that
the state or government does a lot
of that, but they really don’t. When
working on a building of that size
with the longevity of being around
for 20-plus years, with Weatherford
growing, we need volunteers. We
need people who can support with
money, we need people who have
ideas, and just sharing it and liking it
on our social media will help us out
a bunch,” she said.
The money that was raised by
their bachelor, John Baker, will go
towards that new building and other
services the Senior Center provides.
“The new building is also home
to Meals on Wheels, so it accom-
modates a little of both, along with
the other things we do. We help pay
utilities, help with groceries, we do
reassurance phone calls, we have a
big transportation program and a lot
of activities,” said Mowery.
Mowery thanks everyone who
helped Baker raise money, applaud-
ing the community effort that was
involved during the bachelor event.
“I want to thank the Weatherford
Police Department, they were
awesome. We all worked together.
Boo Ray’s did a great event. They all
worked so hard, and my staff as well.
It could not come at a better time
with us getting a new building,” she
said.
Continued on page 18
12
John Baker, Sue Towns, Linda Wilkins,
Shelly Mowery
Photo by Zach Peterson