Cadets Lend a Hand at Senior Center

Last week a group of 25 girls stopped by to help out at the Ray Hopkins Senior Center as part of their involvement in the Cadets program with the Mauldin City Police. If the girls, who attend middle schools throughout the Mauldin area, were expecting to work with reserved, sedentary senior citizen,s they were quickly disabused of that notion during rapid-fire games of Bingo. In a turnabout, it was the youngsters who occasionally struggled to keep pace with their elders.

But for anyone who has visited the Senior Center since Kay Hunt took over as Coordinator, this should come as no surprise. Hunt and her staff have been at the center for just about three years. Since taking over, Hunt has steadily built a program that serves hundreds of seniors in a typical month.

“We wanted to expand what we had to offer,” Hunt said. “Word of mouth has been strong and the city is really behind the program.”

Hunt said she tries to reach as many seniors as possible in the Greenville area. Many of the programs offered at the center are free and those that aren’t require only a small fee.

Hunt said a lot of seniors have chosen to relocate to the area in recent years and found the center through the aforementioned word of mouth or from one of the many organizations with whom the center has partnered.

“The seniors that come here are interested in having a busy, active lifestyle,” she said. “A lot of them are outgoing anyway.”

Which makes them a perfect fit for what Hunt has to offer.