Tag Archive for: #granvillecountyseniorcenter

Granville Senior Center To Host ‘Nifty 90s’ Event Sept. 18

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Calling all nonagenarians! The Granville County Senior Services wants to honor YOU at the upcoming Nifty 90s event at the Granville County Convention and Expo Center.

The annual celebration, which will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 18, includes dinner and entertainment as a way to honor Granville County residents who are 90 years of age or older.

Doors open at 4:15 p.m. and dinner will be served at 5:15 p.m.

Please register no later than Monday, Sept. 9 if you’re planning to attend. The Nifty 90s event is free for all those who are 90 or older; guests under 90 may attend for a cost of $10.

Call the Granville County Senior Center to register at 919-693-1930.

For more information about all of the programs offered by Granville County Senior Services, visit the Granville  County website at https://www.granvillecounty.org/residents/senior-services/ or follow Granville County Senior  Services on Facebook.

TownTalk: New Senior Center Planned For Stovall

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Over the course of the next 12 months or so, the town of Stovall is going to be the site of some groundbreaking activity – literally.

A new senior center is going up at the corner of Oxford and Main streets, and local officials agree that the proposed location is perfectly placed to get a lot of use by folks who live in the northern part of the county.

The $3 million project has cleared all the initial pre-construction hurdles, and Granville County’s Senior Services Director Kathy May said work should begin this month, with an estimated completion date of August 2025.

May and Stovall Town Commissioner Jeffrey Stovall were guests on Tuesday’s TownTalk, and both agree that the new senior center will change the landscape of the tiny town located just a few miles north of Oxford on Highway 15.

The 4.5 acre-tract is situated across from the Stovall library and medical center and is nestled between Stovall Baptist Church and Town Hall.

And although the idea has been about seven years in the making, May said the timing is just right.

Did you know that Granville County has the largest percentage of people in the 50-59 age range? “I was shocked when I found that out fairly recently,” May said.

Forty percent of the county’s population is 50+, a demographic May and her staff know quite well. Residents over 50 are eligible to participate in senior center programs and events; services like transportation, congregate meals and meal delivery are for residents 60 years and older.

As residents “age in” to the services that the county’s senior center provides, May said it’s important to have a facility that can accommodate multiple activities at once.

The current senior center has been in service since the mid-1990’s, and while it’s a nice building (with original hardwood floors), May said it’s basically a single 1200-square-foot room, with no functional outdoor space other than a gravel parking lot.

The new center, by contrast, will have multiple spaces, a walking path and plenty of room outside that eventually will be home to a couple of pickle ball courts.

“A senior center is like a home away from home,” May explained. It’s a place where senior adults can reconnect with old friends and meet new ones, learn how to stay healthy and it keeps them from sitting at home being lonely, she said. The center staff can help connect them with vital community resources, another bonus.

They eat meals together, play games, attend workshops and take classes through the Creative Lifelong Learning program.

May said she plans to hold some of the CLL classes at the new center in Stovall.

“It’ll be great for seniors and the community as a whole,” Stovall said. “I really do think it’s going to bring the town together. He was elected to the town board of commissioners in the last election, and he said town leaders are working hard to make Stovall a place where young families want to live.

“We’re trending upward,” Stovall said, adding that the senior center creates a “confidence booster for us to continue to do the right thing.”

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Barberio Named To Lead Granville Senior Center’s CLL Program

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-information courtesy of Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood

Russ Barberio has been named the new coordinator of the Creative Lifelong Learning (CLL) program run by Granville County Senior Services. Barberio takes over for Marilyn Howard who is retiring from Granville County at the end of June.

Barberio came to North Carolina in 1982 to be the plant controller at Max Factor Cosmetics in Oxford and stayed in the area after leaving that job to work as a computer software consultant.

In retirement, Barberio had the chance to focus more on his hobbies, including working with the North  Carolina Genealogical Society to promote the organization while working to educate genealogists on research techniques. He also enjoys camping, reading, classical music, Shakespeare, and North Carolina history (particularly the Revolutionary War). After experiencing the rich array of classes available through the Granville County CLL program, Barberio jumped at the chance to lead the program upon Howard’s retirement.

“This program has been administered so successfully by Marilyn for the last six years,” said Barberio.  “She will be sorely missed, but she has left such a solid foundation for us to continue to build on.”

He holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Utah and a bachelor’s degree in Management from Utah State University. Barberio lives in Henderson with his wife of 57 years, Diane. They have three children and four grandchildren.

The Creative Lifelong Learning program was established in 2017 through a generous endowment and is modeled after the OLLI programs at Duke and N.C. State universities. The program is committed to offering opportunities to stimulate the mind, uplift the spirit and enhance the well-being of adult learners through a wide range of  educational programs, physical activities and social events.

For more information about CLL and all of the programs offered by Granville County Senior Services, visit the  Granville County website at this link https://www.granvillecounty.org/residents/senior-services/ or follow  Granville County Senior Services on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064457631282.

The Granville County Senior Center is located at 107 Lanier St. in Oxford and the South Granville Senior Center is located at 114 Douglas Dr. in Creedmoor. The North Granville Senior Center is currently located at 318 US Highway 15 South in Stovall but construction is scheduled to begin this summer on a new center located in downtown Stovall on Oxford Street.

Vance-Granville Community Band Set To Play Sept. 30 At Granville Senior Center In Oxford

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Join the Granville County Senior Services in Oxford for a special concert on Saturday afternoon featuring the Vance-Granville Community Band.

The hour-long concert will begin at 4 p.m. and will feature a election of waltzes, marches and medleys of popular and classical music reminiscent of the Boston Pops Orchestra.

The concert is free and open to the public; stay afterward for light refreshments.

For more information, call the Senior Center at 919.693.1930.

Author Of Military Thrillers To Teach Class At Granville Senior Center

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Granville County’s Creative Lifelong Learning program is planning a free class for the community that will focus on the craft and business of writing and publishing.

The class will be led by North Carolina native and author Tom Young, who will share his story about the inspiration for his novels. The class will be held Tuesday, Sept. 13 at the Granville County Senior Center, 107 Lanier St. in Oxford, and will begin at 1:30 p.m.

The CLL course is free and is open to the public, according to information from Terry Hobgood, the county’s public information officer. CLL membership is not required.

Young is best known for his military thrillers set in modern-day conflicts, in addition to historical novels set in World War II. Young served with the Air National Guard in Afghanistan and Iraq. He has flown combat missions to Kosovo and Bosnia as well as Latin America, the Far East, and the Horn of Africa. Young also worked as a flight engineer on the C-130 Hercules and the C-5 Galaxy, logging nearly 5,000 hours. He has flown to nearly 40 countries and has received several military honors.

Young has received the Air Force Combat Action Medal, three Air Medals, and three Aerial Achievement Medals. He currently works as an airline pilot based at Reagan National Airport and holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

For more information, please contact Granville County Senior Center at 919.693.1930 or visit the Granville  County website: https://www.granvillecounty.org/residents/senior-services/center-lifelong-learning/.

 

 

Granville Senior Center Recertified As “Center Of Excellence”

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The Granville County Senior Center in Oxford has been recertified as a Center of Excellence from the North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services. The five-year certification continues through 2027.

The voluntary certification is designed to strengthen senior centers across the state by documenting the achievements of centers that are providing quality programs and services.  The Granville Center previously completed certifications is 2012 and 2017, according to a press statement from Terry A. Hobgood, Jr., Granville County public information officer.

It received special commendations for programs like the Creative Lifelong Learning Program, Rock Steady Boxing for Parkinson’s patients, the Community Aging Fund and the Senior Welfare Program partnership with the Granville County Sheriff’s Office. These programs were noted as showcasing the strengths of senior services in Granville County by the N.C. Division of Aging and Adult Services.

Designation as a Center of Excellence means that “the center provides exemplary services and opportunities in their community and serves as a mentor and model to other senior centers” according to the state.

Senior centers may seek the designation to enhance professionalism, provide accountability, assure quality, improve credibility, promote consistent standards and to identify excellence among senior services providers. It also allows for senior centers to receive additional state funding for service enhancement and equipment/furniture purchases.

For more information about programs and services provided at the Granville County Senior Center, as well locations in Creedmoor and Stovall, visit https://www.granvillecounty.org/residents/senior-services/ or call 919.693.1930.

AARP Driver Safety Classes Scheduled For Senior Drivers

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Registration is now open for AARP Driver Safety Courses hosted by  Granville County Senior Services. The AARP Driver Safety Program is the nation’s first and largest driver safety  course designed especially for drivers 50 and older. The course is intended to help drivers live more independently  as they age and remain safe on today’s roads.

The AARP Driver Safety Program course covers defensive driving techniques and the normal changes in vision,  hearing, and reaction time associated with aging. The course also provides practical techniques for adjusting to  these changes to ensure the driver’s own safety and that of others on the road. Participants learn about current  rules of the road and how to operate their vehicles safely in today’s increasingly challenging driving environment.  Course topics include maintaining proper following distance, methods of changing lanes and turning at  intersections, effects of medications on driving, minimizing the effect of dangerous blind spots, limiting driver  distractions such as eating, smoking, and cell phone use, properly using safety belts, air bags, and anti-lock brakes, maintaining physical flexibility, and monitoring the driving skills and capabilities of yourself and others.

The North Granville Senior Center in Stovall will hold this class on Monday, March 21 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.  You must preregister for this class by calling the center at 919. 693.3383.

The Granville County Senior Center in Oxford will hold this class on Thursday, March 31 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.  You must preregister for this class by calling the center at 919. 693.1930.

The course cost is $20 for AARP members and $25 for non-members, which includes all course materials.  Course participants may be eligible to receive a state mandated, multi-year discount on their auto insurance  premium. Participants should contact their insurance company or agent for more details. The instructor for this  class will be Lynroy Thomas, a certified AARP Driver Safety Program instructor.

VITA Tax Assistance

Tax Assistance Offered at Granville County Senior Center

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-Press Release, Granville County Government

IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) volunteers are back at the Granville County Senior Center in Oxford to assist Granville County seniors age 60+ with their tax returns. This free service will be available from 5 until 8 p.m. each Thursday through July 9. Appointments are required. 

Participants will need to bring a valid picture ID, Social Security cards for themselves and any dependents claimed, income information, proof of health insurance and their previous-year tax returns.

To schedule an appointment, contact the Granville County Senior Center in Oxford, located at 107 Lanier Street, at 919-693-1930.

Senior Center’s ‘Rock Steady Boxing’ Staves Off Parkinson’s Progression

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-Press Release, Granville County Government

Seniors with a New Year’s resolution to improve overall health and fight against the progression of Parkinson’s disease are being offered a conditioning program that increases flexibility, as well as improving agility, speed, muscular endurance, hand-eye coordination and core strength.

Bill Cheatham (left) and Reginald Weaver (right) rotate among several stations of the Rock Steady Boxing session held Monday at the Senior Center. (Photo courtesy Granville Co. Govt.)

“Rock Steady Boxing” (RSB) was introduced to the area in late summer, with the Granville County Senior Center in Oxford becoming one of 852 affiliates of the nationwide program. Approximately 15 local participants are already enrolled in RSB sessions each week, says Senior Services’ Fitness Program Coordinator Justin Waller, and more are welcome to attend.

Parkinson’s is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that can cause deterioration of motor and sensory skills, impacting balance, movement and speech. According to “Parkinson’s News Today,” a news and information website, vigorous exercise such as running, riding a bicycle – or even boxing – is key to disease prevention.

Fitness Program Coordinator Justin Waller demonstrates how to “throw a punch” at a recent Rock Steady Boxing session held at the Senior Center in Oxford. (Photo courtesy Granville Co. Govt.)

For the more than 60,000 patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease each year, exercise such as the regimen provided through the Rock Steady Boxing method, studies show, can ward off changes in the brain caused by aging while increasing oxygen delivery.

Every Monday at 1:30 p.m., participating seniors learn boxing basics as Waller facilitates these non-contact fitness sessions to help seniors improve daily activities and “fight back” against the disease.

“Granville County Senior Services became a RSB affiliate in 2019 after Justin traveled to Colorado to attend the Affiliate Training Camp program,” explains Kathy May, Senior Services Director. “This specialized training included hands-on classes for Justin to learn to conduct a class and scale for every ability level.”

May adds that Waller was already “ahead of the game” when he attended the training camp since he has an undergraduate degree in exercise science from UNC-Chapel Hill, as well as a master’s degree in exercise physiology from UNC-Greensboro. He also has years of experience in the field of exercise and nutrition.

Rock Steady Boxing’s goal is to educate as many people as possible about the benefits of intense exercise and to establish safe and welcoming programs in every community.

Through RSB training, Granville County has joined ongoing nationwide efforts to meet fitness levels at all stages – from preventative measures to those who have been living with Parkinson’s symptoms for decades – as well as developing a sense of unity in the fight against the disease.

To learn more about the Rock Steady Boxing program offered by Granville County Senior Services – or to register – please call the Senior Center, located at 107 Lanier Street in Oxford, at 919-693-1930.

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Granville Co. Senior Center to Host Annual Veterans’ Breakfast

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-Information courtesy the County of Granville

The Granville County Senior Center in Oxford, in partnership with Amedisys Home Health and Hospice, will host the annual Veterans’ Breakfast on Thursday, November 7, 2019. The event is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. at the Granville County Expo and Convention Center, with all branches of the military invited to attend.

Speakers and a pinning ceremony are planned, along with a catered meal. Those interested in participating should register by Friday, November 1.

For more details, contact the Granville County Senior Center in Oxford at 919-693-1930.

The Granville County Expo and Convention Center is located at 4185 US Hwy. 15 South in Oxford.