I am very excited to be taking over as coordinator for Operation Family Christmas this year. This program is geared toward families and guardians of children 0-18 years of age who will struggle during the holiday season. I look forward to assisting families in this county that need extra help and believe it is important to a community that we work together to make sure that all children in our county wake up on Christmas morning and feel the magic that Christmas brings on such a special day. Applications are available at the Senior Center, Sheriff ’s Office, Grand Portage Human Services, Cook County Public Health and Human Services, Violence Prevention Office, Tofte Branch of the Grand Marais State Bank and at Cook County schools and can be turned in to any of the same locations.
Applications are also available to download on our Facebook page, “Cook County Senior Center A Non-Profit Organization” and can be e-mailed or faxed to me at cccoa@boreal.org, jmrodne@gmail.com, (218) 387- 2317 (fax). The deadline for applications has been extended to Nov. 23. If you have any questions, you can contact me at (218) 370- 1629, or (218) 387-2660.
Nona Smith, Tom Hedstrom and Gladys Anderson are among those already practicing for the upcoming cribbage tournament at the Senior Center, which will begin in January. The friendly competition continues the long tradition of playing cribbage at the Senior Center. All enthusiasts are encouraged to participate.
To go along with gearing up for the Christmas season, the Senior Center has a large variety of Christmas cards for sale at a great price. You can get five cards for $1 or 10 for $1.50. You really can’t beat that deal so stop in and check them out.
In other news, the Cook County Council on Aging (CCCoA) is looking for an active and diverse network of community members to join our board of directors to work together in an efficient, impactful and innovative manner. The board oversees policies, budget matters, programs and services at the Senior Center and the First & Second Thrift Store. Some knowledge and/or experience in leadership and business are helpful, as we are working on reinventing the Senior Center, gearing up for future generations. We invite people from all areas of Cook County to apply. Please call Bev at 387-2660 for an application for more information.
A newer activity that is going on at the Senior Center is Chair Zumba. This class is offered with Chris Angelo on Thursdays at the Senior Center at 10 a.m. Chair Zumba is similar to Zumba Gold with the movements modified and most or all of the routines performed while sitting in chairs. A typical class lasts anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes, depending on what’s right for the particular class. There are frequent breaks in between songs, so participants have a chance to recover. We are super excited about this because Chair Zumba, when attended regularly, can help with muscle strength, balance, flexibility, mental awareness and functioning, mood and so much more so I encourage everyone of all ages to join the fun.
For future news, we will be starting up our Intergenerational Reading Program again in January and have begun to look for seniors and other active adults to volunteer to partner up with a fourth-grade reader. This will be our second year running this program, and I look forward to another successful year bringing the generations together through reading and friendships created. If you would like to be a part of this program, please call me for more details.
Also to come in January is the beginning of a cribbage tournament to be held at the Senior Center and we are looking for all cribbage enthusiasts to participate. Pat Zankman’s mother and our dear friend Ruby Lind loved to play cribbage. She played every Thursday at the Senior Center for many years.
Pat is sponsoring a cribbage tournament in her mother’s memory. If you are interested, contact us at 218-387-2660
As always we are looking for ideas for any new programs or services that are needed and/or wanted by the community. If you have an activity you would like to start up, or ideas for games, trips, exercise or education classes, services, etc. that you would like to see at the Senior Center, please contact us, and we will do our best to make that happen, short or long term.
Cook County has a vibrant and active community of elders. Each week we offer Senior News to highlight our senior citizens. This week’s submission is about the Cook County Senior Center, courtesy of Programs and Service Coordinator Jes Rodne.
Leave a Reply