1015 North Congress, Ypsilanti, MI 48197 734-483-5014

Senior Center is hiring!

We have two positions available:

  • Special Projectors Coordinator full-time, $19/hour
  • Program Coordinator (24 hours/week), $18/hour

You can apply online through Indeed
https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Ypsilanti-Senior-Center/jobs/l-Ypsilanti,-MI
or contact the Senior Center directly.

Vintage Jewelry Sale – RESCHEDULED

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Dec. 2 fundraiser for the Senior Center is being rescheduled.

We will be back bigger and better than ever in the summer, probably the first Saturday in June.

 

Quilt Raffle 2023

Tickets are $6 each or 3 for $15.  The photo does not do this lovely hand-made quilt justice… it is beautiful. 
Purchase tickets in person at the Ypsilanti Senior Center, 1015 N Congress, or at the holiday craft show at the
Ypsi Freighthouse Nov. 25 and 26.
Buy tickets online by making a donation through the website, ypsiseniorcenetr.org. Specify in the note field how many
tickets you would like.
Drawing is Sunday Nov. 26, you need not be present to win.

from the Director – October 2023

Summer went by too fast.  We have new faces around the center.  Tamar Lawlerhas been around for a little while.  She took Stacey’s place and works with the nutrition program.  Stephanie Levijoki started this summer and will be working with developing programs and working with inter-generational activities.  They each work 3 days a week.  

We also have 2 staff that work for AARP’s job training program.  Diane Goff is at the front desk.  Her job is to greet everyone and answer the phones.  Jaqueline McGaughy has returned to the kitchen with 2 new knees to help serve meals.  

We are hoping in the near future to hire another person to assist with grant writing, grant management and  planning. Maybe at some point I will make myself obsolete and look at retirement.  That won’t be for quite a while.   

Over the summer, Bruce Astrein (our consultant from Generations United) and I have been meeting with several local organizations to work towards adding an inter-generational aspect to the center activities.  Our art group was joined by Mentor 2 Youth students.  We worked on individual weaving mats that will be joined together to make a large wall hanging.  In August every Tuesday and Thursday a group of older adults met with middle school aged students to learn how to play chess.  The response was very positive.  This is now continuing the third Saturday of each month from 2-4pm.  The class is organized by the Mich Ave Library.  It will meet here for the fall because that library has been closed.  When they reopen, it will transfer to a meeting at the library.  

 – Monica

From the Director – December 2022

As we enter the winter months, the county is still at medium risk of Covid. We need to be safe during the holidays and into 2023. We are still requiring masks to be worn indoors at the Center. Please be mindful of everyone’s health.

WooHoo!! We did receive a grant from the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation and Blue Cross, Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation to continue our work with intergenerational activities. This will not take away any of our senior programming. It will actually enhance the programs we have now. Soon we will be open longer hours. This will allow us to add programs that will include youth and older adults. With this grant we will also be able to hire another staff member to help with our work load. We will be looking for someone that will start at part time and be willing to move to full time at some point. This will also bring new people into the Center. I look forward to seeing the gradual changes that will happen throughout the year.

During covid we stopped the Memory Cafe to keep everyone safe. We would like to restart it. If you know of anyone that is living with memory issues please let them know about this program. It is a social time for those living with memory loss and their caregivers. We talk, sing, dance, make art and tell stories. It is a time that everyone can get support for the challenges they face.

Feel free to call me if you have any questions. – Monica

Annual Corn Roast Fundraiser on July 30!

Join us on Saturday, July 30 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm for the 2022 Corn Roast to help raise funds in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Center!  Tickets can be bought at the door and are $10 for adults and $5 for children.

 

From the Director – February 2022

We started off the new year rather tentatively.  With the rise of another Covid variant we are all uncertain how to stay safe.  Be sure you get your vaccines and booster for the virus, wear masks whenever you are in public and continue to wash your hands.  The Center requires everyone to wear a mask indoors unless you are sitting at a table eating.  The County has supplied us with KN95 masks that are available for anyone to pick up.  Everyone can order free at-home covid test kits from www.covidtests.gov.  It is super easy.  It only requires your name and address and your test kits will be shipped to your door.  Another source for ordering tests is https://accesscpvodtests.org.  If you need help ordering, you can stop by the center and ask someone here to help you fill out the form online.

The AAA1b (Area Aging on Aging 1b) has asked us to develop a pilot program that would help Grandparents raising grandchildren get some respite.  Raising grandchildren is not an easy job even though it is very rewarding.  This pilot program will help find and pay for the activities for the grandchildren so the grandparents can have some time for themselves. If you know of anyone that could benefit from this program please call and give us their contact information.

EMU has received a grant to start a program called “Lori’s Hands”.  It is available for anyone with a chronic illness.  Students from EMU will be available to visit on a weekly basis to provide some help around the house or companionship.  There is a flyer that explains how it works.  If you are interested in the program or know of someone that is please call the Senior center and leave your name and phone number so we can register you for the program.

— Monica Prince

60th Anniversary Celebration!

This December the Center will celebrate our 60th anniversary!  We will have an in-person gathering next summer to celebrate, but we will celebrate now as well. We have decided to provide our members with a “Celebration in a Bag” on Monday, December 6.  We are putting together 50 bags with many surprises and treats. We will also have some items that we will raffle off at the end of that day. Right now we have a floral centerpiece, a free massage, a gift basket and a couple of larger gift certificates. For details on the celebration, see this flyer.

The center will be closed for the holidays December 18 through January 2.

 

 

Quilt Raffle Time!

Our quilters have been busy quilting this past year. Every year, our group of expert quilters volunteer their time to create beautiful quilts for us to raffle. Unfortunately due to Covid, they have not started meeting together yet but they worked separately to make us some.  Here are this year’s quilts:

 

 

 

Tickets are $6 for one ticket, $15 for three tickets, $20 for 5 tickets, or $40 for 10 tickets.  For every ticket you buy, there are three chances to win! The winning tickets will be drawn on Sunday, November 7 from 3-5pm at the Ypsilanti Senior Center and will be shown live on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ypsiseniorcenter. If the weather cooperates, we will hold the raffle on the patio of the senior center, so you can come and social distance in the park. We hope to have a few speakers from 3-4, and we will be selling last-minute tickets at that time. We will then pick the names at 4pm. You do not need to be present to win. We will call the lucky winners to let them know.

If you would like to support the center but are not interested in winning a quilt, you can donate by visiting this link.

The funds we raise during the Quilt Raffle help support the center in the following ways:
· Replace funds “lost” due to COVID-19
· Provide low cost meals to our community seniors
· Offer affordable classes in arts, crafts, exercise and more
· Providing a large meeting place for all types of community groups
· Support all the new programs we are offering
· And much, much more!

To obtain tickets, call 734-483-5014 or email ypsiseniors@sbcglobal.net.

We thank you for continued support in helping us serve our community!

New Date: Let’s Talk about the Future!

NEW DATE: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

As the president of the Senior Center’s Board of Directors, I am pleased to invite each of you to our strategic planning meeting on Saturday, September 25 from 10am until 1pm. Your voices are the most important to hear as we gather together to discuss what we want the future of the Senior Center to look like. The only thing you need to bring are yourselves and your ideas about what you like most (and least) about the Center as it is now and the sorts of things you would like to see in the future. If you are not able to attend but would like to send along your ideas please email Monica at ypsiseniors@sbcglobal.net or myself at sheria.robinson@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

— Sheria Robinson-Lane