Wayne Senior Center Celebrates Milestone 50-Year Anniversary

WAYNE, PA — In 1975, Gerald Ford was president, the country was reeling from Watergate and the Philadelphia Flyers were in their Stanley Cup glory days. In Wayne, civic engagement was high, but there was a "dearth of services" for older adults.

Community leaders saw a generation being left behind and took action.

During Wayne Week that year, the Radnor Nutrition Program was launched – a collaboration between the Neighborhood League Nursing Service, Wayne’s Retired Senior Volunteer Program, a retired IBM executive, the principal of Ithan Elementary School, Radnor Township personnel and representatives from a newly formed Valley Forge chapter of AARP.

"Wayne Senior Center was truly born out of community," Wayne Senior Center Executive Director Katie Mahon said.

The first meals were served at the Radnor Middle School cafeteria annex.

Agnes Irwin School donated extra meals and the Upper Mainline YMCA provided exercise classes.

The meal program soon moved to Wayne Presbyterian Church, beginning a lasting partnership – just this year, the church granted Wayne Senior Center funding for "Fresh Start" breakfasts on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Another lasting partner from those early years is the Rotary Club of Wayne, which has a longstanding tradition of providing financial support and volunteers for the center’s annual Thanksgiving luncheon.

In 1980, a teen center between the Wayne Presbyterian Church and the train station became Wayne Senior Center’s permanent home.

Some of the older adults who walk through the center doors today remember attending programs there as teenagers.

In the 4,500-square-foot building, tens of thousands of lives have been touched by the support and friendships that can be found within its walls.

One of those lives is 96-year-old Mary Bingham. She has personally witnessed more than half of the center’s 50-year history. Bingham joined Wayne Senior Center in 1999 when she was 70 years old. Twenty-six years later, she credits the center for her longevity.

"What would I do without all these friendships," Bingham asked. "The Center has kept me alive all these years."

Over the weekend, Bingham was an honored guest at Wayne Senior Center’s 50th Anniversary celebration on Saturday. Though the building was transformed for the special event with area VIPs and major donors, Bingham sat at her usual table, sharing the usual laughs with her friends over a good meal.

Toasting Bingham and her friends, the Anniversary Celebration "Taste the Future" honored the past while advancing innovation for the future.

Wayne Senior Center is widely recognized as a leader in helping older adults confidently navigate today’s digital world.

Francis Lyons serves on staff as a full-time digital navigator, providing more than 850 hours of one-on-one technical support each year.

"Access to technology has become an essential need," Lyons said.

In response to that need, Wayne Senior Center built a tech bar and offers a free iPad lending library for those without digital access.

Lyons also offers tech workshops in area libraries to reach older adults who haven’t yet found their way to the bustling senior center on Station Road.

On the horizon for Wayne Senior Center is a new chef-led, plant-forward nutrition program. It is no secret that a nutritious diet can help prevent chronic disease, improve brain and memory function and increase longevity.

But preparing or accessing meals with the right nutritional balance can be easier said than done.

Thanks to a $350,000 grant from Radnor-based Mariposa Wish Foundation in July, Wayne Senior Center’s new menu of fresh-made chef creations is aimed at the discerning palates of today’s “foodies” and seeks to incorporate diverse cultural recipes as well as the latest in nutrition science.

Jill Chambers, President of the Mariposa Wish Foundation, was in attendance at the Anniversary Brunch, where guests were invited to vote on sample dishes for the new menu.

First place was a tie between the blueberry breakfast parfait and the strawberry, cream cheese crostini with fig jam.

But while the future looks bright for Wayne Senior Center on its golden anniversary, the overall outlook for senior services in Pennsylvania is alarming.

Mahon serves as Board Treasurer for the Pennsylvania Association of Senior Centers and spent last week in State College at the association’s annual conference.

"It’s always energizing to gather with my colleagues who share a commitment to ensuring that every older adult has the opportunity to age well, with purpose and connection," Mahon said. "But this year, the conversations were different."

Months into the state budget impasse, many aging services providers and senior centers across the state are facing disruption. In Armstrong County, eight senior centers have closed, staff furloughed, and hundreds of meals per day for older adults have been lost. This comes at a time when demand is growing. By 2030, one in three Pennsylvanians will be over age 60.

Despite the uncertainty of state and federal budgets and the impact funding changes will have for older adults in need, Wayne Senior Center is poised to meet any challenge.

"Over 50 years, we’ve weathered many storms," Mahon said. "With the strong fiscal management of our board of directors and the invaluable support from our community partners and steadfast donors, we are not focusing on what could happen to Wayne Senior Center, we are looking for ways we can be a rock for others to hang onto through it all."

Wayne Senior Center, located at 108 Station Road, is open to the public from 8:30 to 4 a.m. Monday through Friday. Learn more about Wayne Senior Center online here.