Come rain or shine, Kearny County’s senior population knows that they can count on the girls at the Kearny County Senior Center to provide them with much appreciated services, tasty food and fun activities. According to information compiled by the late Cleone Neff, the roots of the organization can be traced to 1964 when the “Kearny County Senior Citizens Recreation Group” was begun by Rose Eatinger White. Rose met with the Memorial Building Board to secure time for senior citizens to use the Memorial Building on a regular basis for fellowship and recreation when other community activities were not scheduled. Senior citizen get-togethers had been every two weeks prior to this. Rose hosted the first such meeting. Women played cards while men played dominoes. Refreshments were furnished by members of the Presbyterian Church Women’s Society, county extension units and senior volunteers. Several from Deerfield participated in these activities.
In 1968, the Lakin Young Women’s Club, a federated service organization, initiated a long-range program of service to the senior citizens of Kearny County. Surveys were conducted to determine the number of seniors in the county, the prevailing needs of this group, existing programs in the community targeted toward the elderly and identifying organizations interested in meeting the special needs of this group. At Rose’s request, the Lakin Young Women’s Club agreed to incorporate the bi-weekly get-togethers into their program projections. A two-year community service program was set into action by a committee composed of Joan Wiley, Thelma White and Cleone Neff. This culminated into the organization of the Kearny County Council on Aging on Feb. 2, 1973. Bylaws were adopted Oct. 4, 1974, and Cleone Neff became the first chairman of the board, a position she held until 2000. The KCCA became financially operative with $2,550 received from county revenue sharing funds in 1975. In April 1975, voters approved a petition to permit the use of county mill levy funds for senior citizen programs thus giving the KCCA the distinction of being the first aging program in the 28 Southwest Kansas counties to receive county mill levy support.
On January 9, 1976, the KCCA received its first installment of mill levy funding. These funds were used to conduct ceramic classes and special events for seniors, to purchase Meals-On-Wheels supplies and office supplies, to fuel busses borrowed from the school for various senior citizen outings, and to operate a once-a-week mealsite with meals being made at the Lakin Grade School kitchen. All activities were planned and carried out by volunteer coordinators at this time.
The January 11, 1978 Lakin Independent announced that renovation work had begun to convert the old Kearny County hospital building on Kansas Street into a center for senior citizen activities and offices for the Kearny County health nurse. Although many items at the new Senior Center were donated, the KCCA used much of its mill levy funding to furnish and transform the center from its original use as a hospital. The Kearny County Senior Center was unveiled in 1979, and Bea Myers was employed as full-time director while Paul Jantz was hired as part-time custodian. County funding was put to use as regularly scheduled craft classes, shopping trips, shuffleboard, quilting, snooker, and other activities and services were offered free of charge to participants. The center became the administrative headquarters for Meals-On-Wheels, a joint effort of the Council on Aging and Kearny County Hospital. A volunteer force was heavily relied upon to deliver meals, carry out programming, and drive busses.
Eventually, the Council on Aging purchased its own busses. Not only did tours and day trips flourish, but transportation was also offered to area events like community concerts and the Grant County Home Products Dinner. In the 1990s, transportation services expanded as staff began offering local transportation not only to the Senior Center but also to doctor appointments and for shopping and errands. At one time, the KCCA had a fleet of four busses, housing one at Deerfield to serve the community’s needs there.
Activities and services offered have been numerous and varied and have included morning coffees, Bible Studies, dances, cooking classes, arts and crafts, country line dancing, holiday parties and special events, brunches, snooker tournaments, exercise classes, educational programs, commodity and Kansas Food Bank distribution, dinner-outs and lunch dates, insurance counseling, technology classes, intergenerational programs and much, much more. In 1998, center staff began cooking and serving a hot, well-balanced meal on Wednesdays at a minimal charge. This program continues to thrive and is now available for dining in-person or pick-up on Wednesdays.
Like many other organizations and businesses, the Senior Center had to adapt to the era of Covid by thinking out of the box. When in-person activities couldn’t be conducted, several events were done through the center’s drive thru such as mealsite pick-up, handing out special foods like funnel cake, and an ugly sweater contest. Activities like bingo and trivia were started over Zoom. Calls were made to the homes of elderly to check on them and see if they needed any errands or shopping done. The staff even worked in conjunction with the county treasurer’s office to assist seniors in getting their tags and taxes taken care of. The employees went over and above to ensure that Kearny County’s seniors were taken care of and safe.
The success of the Senior Center can be attributed to the unwavering dedication of hard-working staff members, volunteers, board members, county commissioners, and various individuals and organizations who have partnered with the KCCA to offer programs for the elderly through the years. Together they have worked tirelessly to make sure the needs of Kearny County’s seniors are met.
SOURCES: Lakin Independent, Museum archives, and Kearny County Senior Center’s Facebook page.