ACTIVITIES CENTER — Clients and staff at the Brooke County Senior Center keep their hearts pumping to the beats they beat on makeshift drums made from drumsticks and larger rubber balls and buckets. This is 948 Main St. in Follansbee. A new addition to the various activities carried out by the center at. –Warren Scott

FOLLANSBEE — Visitors to the Brooke County Senior Center will often see a lot going on.

This could be a group of senior citizens beating a drum beat on large plastic balls under the direction of a videotaped instructor (one of the new activities offered at the center), or the staff behind the senior nutrition program preparing lunch.

Monday through Friday, Brooke County Committee on Aging staff, who oversee the senior center at 948 Main St., are involved in providing food and other services to area seniors and ensuring senior citizens have something fun to do.

Sandy Kemp, the committee’s executive director, said bingo is played most Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 3 p.m., but people often play cards and other games there during the week.

He added that members of the Steelworkers Active Retirees Organization will gather here on Wednesday mornings to play euchre and invite others to join them.

Sandy Jablonski, a former Follansbee resident, was among many who wore costumes for the Brooke County Senior Center’s recent Halloween party. Among the many seniors who joined Jablonski for a few rounds of bingo were Wellsburg residents Jean Hilt and Carolyn Wilson, seated to his left. –Warren Scott

The drumming event, added this summer, is offered Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Kemp said participants get their hearts pumping by standing or sitting.

“This is a very good exercise” he said. “You really work your upper body.”

Kemp noted that the center offers Fun Day on the last Monday of each month, featuring games such as corn hole, darts and Bunco, from noon to 3 p.m.

“Whoever wants to do whatever” he stated.

Weirton residents participating in the bingo games were, from left, Debbie Weinheimer and Kathy Zylo. –Warren Scott

A key part of the senior center’s program is the free lunch it offers to senior citizens ages 60 and up at 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.

The lunches are part of the Brooke-Hancock Senior Nutrition Program, which provides lunches to seniors at the Greater Weirton Senior Center and Freedom Place Apartments in Weirton, Monday through Friday at 11:30 a.m.

Hundreds of meals are distributed to homebound seniors in Brooke and Hancock counties through the program.

Meal arrangements for homebound seniors can be made by calling (304) 527-3410, Ext. 3. Those who plan to buy food at one of the three feeding places should also use the same number.

The program is supported by funds provided through the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley and the Brooke and Hancock county commissions.

The program not only provides seniors with a hot, nutritious meal, but also the opportunity to talk and meet others, Kemp said.

“We really encourage them to come and eat and socialize.” He said lunch attendance ranged from 35 to 40 people, normally larger after the event.

Kemp said the senior center is occasionally visited by representatives of various organizations that share information about seniors or conduct various health screenings.

For example, blood pressure checks are available most Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., while the Brooke County Health Department recently provided flu vaccinations there.

Kemp noted that there are plans to create picnic benches and an illuminated green area in an empty area next to the center.

The Brooke County Commission purchased and demolished a building on the site and is pursuing public and private grants for the area.

Work is underway to provide additional parking spaces in the area, including a parking space for disabled visitors.

The location would be away from the existing lot, which is located on a busy section of Main Street.

Officials stated that the land will complement the existing land behind the center.

But the Brooke County Committee on Aging’s goal isn’t just to direct people to the senior center.

Kemp said that the center offers transportation to the places they need or want to go.

“We are very busy on transportation” he explained.

The center has six vans, including one that is wheelchair accessible, Kemp said.

Drivers can travel to Veterans Affairs medical facilities in Pittsburgh Monday through Friday and St. Louis on Thursdays. Designated for trips to St. Clairsville.

Vans are available to transport seniors 60 and older to medical appointments, including dialysis, throughout the week and for monthly shopping trips to the Steubenville Wal-Mart and Fort Steuben Mall area.

“If they need transportation, we ask them to call at least two weeks in advance.” Kemp said.

To arrange transportation, seniors must call the intercom. 2 in the above number.

Some staff at the Brooke County Committee on Aging provide home care services to seniors with health-related needs, Kemp added.

Workers help seniors stay in their homes by performing light housework, assisting them with personal care and performing other tasks, he said.

People served by the program include residents eligible for Medicaid, Medicaid waivers or veterans benefits, and others who pay on a sliding scale based on their income.

The Committee on Aging hires individuals who pass a criminal background check and undergo first aid and other training before being assigned to the program’s non-medical employees, Kemp said.

Through its partnership with the Brooke-Hancock-Ohio-Marshall Retiree and Senior Volunteer Program, the Brooke County Committee on Aging provides seniors with opportunities to serve others.

About 185 residents from four counties have volunteered their time through the program at 37 locations, including the Hancock County Senior Center, the Greater Weirton Senior Center and local offices of Catholic Charities USA, said Carolyn Matteson, local RSVP director.

Matteson said their duties include filling backpacks with nonperishable food for local students, making phone calls to check in on homebound seniors and knitting lap robes for local nursing homes or homeless shelters.

He said there is currently a need for military veterans to join the Ohio Valley Veterans Memorial Team to offer military honors at the funerals of their fallen fellow veterans.

RSVP participants can be 55 or older. Those interested can learn more by calling (304) 374-9720.

Matteson stated that the participants were invited to dinners held in their honor, one for Brooke and Hancock counties and the other for Ohio and Marshall counties.

Two popular events the Committee on Aging organizes for all seniors are the summer picnic at Brooke Hills Park and the Christmas party in downtown Brooke County, Kemp said.

The second will be on December 19 from 17:00 to 19:30 and will include a light meal and music by Twice As Nice.

Reservations for the event must be made by calling the senior center by December 10.

The center and its activities have received positive reviews from its patrons.

Karen Ferrence, from Follansbee, said: “When I retired last year I thought, what do I do now?

“I liked it (the centre). You’ll see people.”

Kay Nichols of Wellsburg said: “I love friendship. Everyone is friendly and nice. You meet new people and exercise is good for you.

Nichols admitted that he was reluctant to come to the center at first, but a friend convinced him.

“I didn’t think I’d like it and I love it. You should give it a chance” he said.

said Diane Scott of Wellsburg. “It’s so fun and the people are so entertaining that you want to bring your friends to be a part of it.”

“And the food is good too.” he added.