Lewisville opens program for seniors

Reynolds Community Center will offer weekly activities; others will be held around town

By: Mary Giunca | JOURNAL REPORTER
Published: July 01, 2009

A need to reach out to seniors in the family friendly town of Lewisville has led to the development of the Lewisville Senior Program.

The program officially begins today, with a grand opening at the Reynolds Community Center, which will serve as the base of operations and offer programs weekly. Other activities will be held at area churches, libraries and other places that offer to host a program.

"It's really sort of a blank slate right now," said Sam Matthews, the executive director of the Shepherd's Center of Greater Winston-Salem, which is providing staff supervision, volunteers and programming in Lewisville.

"The whole concept around senior-center programming around the state is trying to focus on active older adults, who have a lot to give, who have a lot of energy, who have a lot they want to do."

The Shepherd's Center is an interfaith ministry with a mission to support successful aging through programs, services and volunteer opportunities.

Financial support for the senior program will come from the state's division of aging and adult services, Matthews said.

The idea for the senior program began a few months back, Matthews said, when a group of local residents met with the Lewisville town council and presented the idea of a senior center.

Increasingly the state has encouraged the development of centers without walls, Matthews said.

Putting together a program in this way offers the town of Lewisville some advantages, said Cecil Wood, the town manager.

"We have a very limited staff," he said. "It's very difficult for us to run and maintain an ongoing program."

Older people are a growing and diverse population who are sometimes in danger of becoming isolated, Wood said. The senior program could do much to alleviate that isolation.

Matthews said that programs can migrate out into the community, where older adults live and worship.

And the set-up encourages partnerships and collaborations with other organizations that expose seniors to new opportunities. Promoting health, wellness and fellowship for seniors is an important part of any such program, Matthews said.

"If any group's mental and physical health is improved," he said, "that benefits the entire community."

■ Mary Giunca can be reached at 727-4089 or at mgiunca@wsjournal.com.