Jefferson County, Ala. - Jefferson County leaders have warned funding for senior centers could be cut in the near future as the county slashes funds in an effort to recover from a crushing sewer debt and the loss of occupational tax revenue.

The threat of cuts has leaders in several communities concerned.  Earlier this week, Graysville Mayor Doug Brewer urged other mayors to talk to their residents about senior center funding.  Brewer wants the public to contact the Jefferson County Commission and tell commissioners not to cut funding for senior centers.

Senior center supporters say the facilities provide essential services for the county's elderly population.  On the surface, the centers may appear to simply serve as a social setting.  But a closer look reveals just how much seniors depend on these facilities.

Consider an average Friday at the senior center in Trussville.

On one side of the room, a pool player sinks a ball into the corner pocket.

"What a shot!  Way to go, Ken!" exclaims his game partner, Otha Rayburn.

On the other side of the room, a group of friends take part in a rook tournament.

"I'm going to have to go green," says James Walker as he switches the color of the cards being played.

Moments later, these seniors break for lunch.  Over a meal that costs only one dollar, they talk and laugh and share stories about their grandchildren.  They talk about the weather, and they solve the world's problems as they hash out views on politics and society.

Each weekday, roughly 20 to 30 seniors gather here to socialize and exercise.  They keep their minds and bodies active, which is vital to preserving their health in their golden years.

"I try to come four days a week," Walker said Friday.  "The fellowship with everybody, that's what it's all about here.  There's not a more friendly place, I don't believe, anywhere."

Rayburn agreed as he took a quick break from his pool game.

"It's a great place to come and have fun, just relax and enjoy it," he said.  "I can even enjoy the game when I lose.  But I'm a better winner than I am a loser," he added, with a smile.

But the center is more than a place to socialize.  Faye Williams, an active member and a volunteer, found the center after she lost her husband nine years ago.

"It saved my life," Williams said.  She tried grief centers and other sources of consolation after her husband passed away.  But nothing helped ease the pain of her loss.

Then, one day, she called the director of the senior center.

"And they told me what all they did, and I said, 'I need to be needed.'  She said, 'We need you.'  So this is where I've come ever since, and it saved my life," Williams said.

Today, Williams stays busy by planning events and field trips for seniors.  When she's not volunteering, she's sitting around a card table or the lunch table, smiling happily as she shares stories with friends.

The seniors in Trussville are fortunate.  Their senior center is mostly supported by the city, not the county.  Should Jefferson County cut funding for senior centers, though, other centers could have to close their doors.

In Trussville, the county's one-dollar hot lunch program in Trussville could go away.  And that cut would be more devastating than people might realize, according to Sandi Wilson, the senior center's director.

"In some of the other centers around the county, this is the only hot meal that these people get a day," Wilson said.  "And even if it's not the only hot meal they get, it's the only meal they get to eat with someone else."

While Trussville provides transportation to and from the center, Wilson said ClasTran cuts in other parts of the county have already limited how many seniors can access their local centers.  She said one senior center director in the northern part of the county has started using her own car to pick up and drop off seniors who need the center.

"It just makes you concerned that they're not going to be properly cared for when they are the ones who are the basis of us being here to start with," Wilson said.  "By getting out and interacting with other people, it keeps your mind sharp.  It keeps you happy."

Seniors in Trussville are grateful their center will continue.  Their concerns are for seniors in other towns whose centers face an uncertain future.  They hope Jefferson County leaders will find other ways to cut the budget.

"Even if these seniors live with family, their family gets up, goes to work, goes on with their lives," Wilson said.  "So we try to offer something for everyone."

 Email To Friend