Volunteers played key role in project

The neatest thing about the expanded Heritage Senior Center in McCook is the tremendous volunteer effort which turned the project from a dream to a reality.

"Don't forget the troops in the trenches," said Ken Martin, the president of the Heritage Senior Center advisory board. "Without them, this project would never have happened."

What the volunteers accomplished -- with the help of three outstanding directors and and generous support from grants and the sales tax -- was a project which doubled the size of the center located at 1312 West Fifth Street.

To accomplish the project, the senior center volunteers and directors had to raise $830,115. "No nickel was too small to take," Martin said. "We had lots of rummage sales, bake sales, garage sales and auctions. And, every time, there was a large turnout of people there to help."

In celebration of the accomplishment, the Heritage Senior Center is in the midst of week-long grand opening ceremonies. As the culmination of the week, there will be a ribbon cutting at 1 p.m. Friday, followed by a program featuring Joann Weiss, director of Aging Services for Nebraska; Norma Phillips, interim director of the West Central Nebraska Area Agency on Aging; Jerda Garey, mayor of McCook; and Martin, as president of the senior center advisory board.

Speaking for the volunteers, Martin has warm words of praise for the three directors who served the Heritage Senior Center during the past few years: Gerri Carper, who passed away; Anna Egle, who moved to Arkansas, and Sue Chipman, the current director.

"They wouldn't take no for an answer. They kept pushing," Martin said. The early drive for the project came during Anna Egle's years as director. "She studied the grant-writing process and really got the ball rolling," the advisory leader said.

And Chipman -- with the help of volunteers and the senior center staff -- has helped carry the project through to completion.

"It's wonderful," the director said of the expanded center and the public's reaction to the grand opening festivities. The kitchen has tripled in size, the main dining room is much more spacious and the acoustics are so much better, she said.

So -- if you haven't already -- come see the center for yourself. If you're over 60, you can get a daily lunch, Monday through Friday, for a low cost, and you can also avail yourself of the many other senior center activities.

When you do take part, say a word of thanks to the helpful volunteers and energetic directors. They are the ones that made this project a reality.