If you feel like the holidays have crept up this year, you are not alone. One day it was 70 degrees and the next it was, well, 50s. Because the weather is weird. But here we are at the end of December. Hopefully you didn’t stress too much and have been able to enjoy time with family and friends. To paraphrase Ray Charles, Christmas is the time of year, to be with the ones you love.
It’s also a time to look back on the year that was, to reflect on how much we have grown as people and as a community. We love our community! The O’Neill Center is looking forward to moving into 2022 with a renewed vision for how we serve the senior population in Washington County.
We invite you to come and visit us in 2022. If you have never been to the Center for activities, never have relied on our medical transportation services or adult day center, never have had the opportunity to talk about prescription assistance plans or Medicare with one of our knowledgeable social services staffers, we invite you to come and see us.
If you know someone who might benefit from a nice lunch every weekday, we invite you to check out lunches served by Community Action in our parking lot. We show movies, have parties, play games, exercise and have all kinds of fun, both in Marietta and at the Belpre Senior Center. We like to say we are the area’s best kept secret…only we don’t want to be a secret any longer.
We aim to increase the numbers of people we serve; although we are feeling the trickle down effects of staffing and supply chain issues, just like everyone else, that isn’t going to stop us from doing what we do best. We are YOUR senior center and we want to hear from you about how we can better serve you.
Look for a participation and communication survey to be sent out. If you don’t receive our email updates, please call us at 740-373-3914 to get added to the list. Or visit https://oneillcenter.com/newsletter-sign-up/ to add yourself. On our website you can also sign up to receive our newsletter, which goes out six times a year or can be downloaded directly from the site. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram, too, for real-time updates about trips, programs and other items of interest.
We rely so much on the community for support and this is the time of year, once the hustle and bustle calms down, that we are able to sit back and take stock in just how fortunate we have been. We know 2021 has not been easy for many. We know that 2022 will be harder still for some. Know that we will be here at the O’Neill Center and Belpre Senior Center, with our doors and arms wide open, to welcome the seniors and their families. Boy it feels good to finally be able to say that.
Please take care of yourselves and each other. We can’t wait to see you in the New Year!
Erin O’Neill is Development Coordinator for The O’Neill Center, located at 333 Fourth St. in Marietta.
