Statements
Mission
Our mission is to provide a multi-purpose facility and services for seniors that will enhance their enjoyment and quality of life.
Background
In 1963 a group of community leaders and senior citizens met for a potluck at the First United Church of Clarksville to begin what was to become one of the first three senior centers in Tennessee. In 1965 incorporation occurred and the charter was obtained, and the center opened in a building on Pageant Lane. The center grew and in 1990 with a donation from Ajax Turner we built the building on Clark Street. In 1996 it again grew out of its accommodations and we added on an expansion with a much larger assembly room, larger ceramics room and computer learning room. Then in 2003, we again needed more room and an Adult Day Care Center. We added another expansion which gave a state-of-the-art Adult Day Care Center, another smaller assembly room, an exercise room, a large sewing/quilting room, plus a room for the office of the Volunteer Coordinator. Since then we have also installed an Alzheimer's Resource Library in the smaller assembly room. In 2015 the Center celebrated its 50th Anniversary and in 2016 broke ground for a 14,000 sq. ft. expansion. January 31, 2018 we officially opened the Senior Center's new expansion. This space added 4 new offices, 2 restrooms on each level, large and small meeting rooms, 2 craft rooms, card room, a media room, Community Storm Shelter, workshop, thrift/consignment shop with storage, an elevator and 2 stairwells. We are governed by a Board of Directors, seven appointed by the City Mayor and seven appointed by the County Mayor. Our Center serves seniors 50 years of age and older. Our primary service area is the City of Clarksville and Montgomery County; however, we serve the surrounding counties in Tennessee and Kentucky as well. We are funded in part by the City of Clarksville, United Way, and GNRC of Nashville.
Impact
Accomplishments: 1) In spite of the effects of the pandemic we added 319 new members this past year. 2) During 2021-2022 we had 4510 registered seniors from different ethnicities, incomes and abilities. Of these, over 700 attended the Center during the year. 3) We were able to resume all activities, programs and services to assists Seniors. 4) Our Adult Day Care, which provides services for seniors with various forms of dementia who may be at risk of entering a nursing home and respite for caregivers, provided 25 participant days of care for an average of 7 per day. 5) The Center recorded 19,786.92 hours performed by 202 registered volunteers last year. 6) We provided 15,246 lunch meals and 7,046 free breakfast meals to Seniors to assist with food insecurity and nutritional needs.
Services provided to enhance the quality of life for Seniors: Nutritional Services/Meals; Adult Day Care; Physicial Fitness Services; Educational Programs; Health and Wellness Programs; Recreational and Social Events; Homebound Services; Community Support Services; Thrift Store; Lending Closet and supply giveaways
Needs
1) Funding to support and expand programs and services offered. 2. Funds for Staffing: Maintaining a qualified staff of 20 full and part-time employees and enough volunteer instructors and facilitators to provide adequate health, educational, recreational, brain health, social and physical fitness activities. 3. Funding for repairs/maintenance of building and grounds. 3) Funding for an outdoor area for Adult Day Center participants and Center members to socially garden, have recreation and exercise. 4. Additional funding to provide Free lunches for the low income seniors at our Center. $5000 would provide 1000 lunches per year.
CEO Statement
The Clarksville 50+ Center is one of the most comprehensive senior centers in Middle Tennessee serving over 200 age 50 and above individuals daily with a wide range of services, classes, programs and activities. Even with being a large center, we are able to retain the family-type atmosphere which encourages socialization. Our motto, 'The place where strangers become friends and friends become family,' is so true.
The delicious daily lunches, which are cooked at the Center, are a nutritional and economical way to subsidize senior nutrition.
We provide free health screenings, health fairs, and a wide range of educational classes; such as Ceramics, Music, Sewing, Quilting, Health and Wellness, Spanish language, Computer/Technology class, Guitar lessons, Piano lessons, Social groups and an Interdenominational Bible Study class.
The Center provides a variety of physical fitness classes including: seated exercises for the less mobile to line dance classes for the more active.
Naturally, no center is complete without social events. Live bands hold dances on most Saturday nights, card tournaments monthly, billiards (pool) playing and tournaments.
We also have homebound services to seniors like our telephone reassurance program where seniors receive daily calls to ensure their safety.
We have a licensed Adult Day Care Center with a more structured daily schedule for those that need supervised care. We host Al-Anon non-smoking groups, Nar-Anon, the Gold Star Wives and the Disabled American. We also have a Blind/Vision-Impaired Support Group.
Board Chair Statement
Statement from the Board Chair-Many seniors are experiencing difficult times. With the cost of living increasing annually and little monies coming in, more seniors are looking to this senior center for assistance. Because of the number of seniors requiring our services, we are very important to the welfare of the community. Our nutrition program is a true success story, feeding seniors five days a week. Even with the help of individuals, foundations, churches, government agencies and the United Way, our greatest challenge is generating the financial support to serve a senior population that is growing daily. This is a great center with a dedicated staff and very large group of volunteers that provide outstanding services to Montgomery and surrounding counties. Thanks for taking the time to read about our organization, and I pray you will seriously consider becoming a part of our mission to improve the quality of life for our seniors.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Human Services - Senior Centers/Services |
| Secondary Category: | Education - Adult Education |
| Tertiary Category: | - |
Areas Served
Our Center is open to all residents of Montgomery County Tennessee and surrounding counties. We also have several members from Kentucky.
| TN - Montgomery |
