Center celebrates with merriment, gifts to homebound elders
There was so much to take in – Santa’s jingling walk, special presents under the tree, a birthday table dressed in poinsettias and everyone wearing all sorts of ugly sweaters – it was quite a Christmas celebration at the Carthage Senior Center on Thursday, Dec. 20.
Cameras snapped shots of poses with Santa, played by Bill Barksdale, but everyone’s favorite scene was Nolan DePriest, 2, who made sure the beard was real after requesting dinosaurs for Christmas morning.
Besides the month of December birthdays to celebrate, the center also congratulated Velma McBride for winning the ugly sweater contest, and Susan Snider for winning a quilt in a region-wide drawing. Smiles ran wide and laughter could be heard all throughout the building on Thursday, but their joy expelled from those walls this year with a first-time effort – some proclaiming that it captured the true spirit of Christmas.
The Homebound Delivered Meals program at the center gives an average of 90 meals a day to residents in Carthage. For some of these homebound seniors, the people who deliver the meals are their only visitors.
“We need to take care of our own,” said Jim Neatherry, chairman of the advisory council for the senior center. “Some of the residents don’t have any family left, they’re lonely a lot of the time and don’t get much at Christmas. This year we wanted to do something more to brighten their holiday.”
Jo Brust, the Homebound Delivered Meals coordinator, said she made Christmas ornaments for the tree at the center with her clients’ wish list items. The immediate response was nothing short of remarkable.
“As soon as I put them on the tree they were gone,” Brust said. “It was just wonderful. They took ornaments without even thinking about it. There’s a lot of bad things in this world, it’s important to remember that there’s so much good, too. The people that come here are pretty amazing and generous.”
On an average, 60 seniors visit the center every day – and in no time at all – approximately 90 homebound residents had a gift … even the ones who didn’t request anything were given a fruit basket. Neatherry said one ornament on the tree had just a few items listed like paper towels and toilet paper.
“She got everything she asked for and more,” he said. “It’s important to show these people they’re valued. It’s important for us to visit them and listen to them.”
Charlie Cross and Susan Snider said they wished it could have been more, but they were able to give a resident a microwave.
“She cried when we delivered it to her,” Cross said. “She didn’t believe she’d get one. It really made us feel good to bless someone at Christmas. We enjoy helping others – especially those who can’t do for themselves because it’s good to know someone’s thinking of you. You can only hope that someone would do that for you someday.”
December Birthdays
Shirley Evans turned 86 on Dec. 14.
Hugh Osborne turned 88 on Dec. 17.
Bob Cardwell turned 89 on Dec. 21.
Jim Muskrat turned 92 on Dec. 11.
Jim Bowman turned 88 on Dec. 23.
Bob Coen turned 76 on Dec. 7.
Nancy Williams turned 65 on Dec. 11.
