Since September 1975, the Wood County Committee on Aging (WCCOA) has served elderly residents of Bowling Green and provided college students with volunteer opportunities.
Since its establishment, several other Wood County communities have opened their doors to provide seniors with loans for medical equipment, handicapped parking applications, blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, referrals for care options and support groups.
Programs Specialist Jessi Trigg, a 2007 graduate in gerontology from the University, said there are several student volunteers from all over the area.
“[Two of my students] Ashley and Aaron have been teaching a class called ‘Get Fit’ every Monday, Wednesday, [and] Friday since August,” Trigg said. “They are both kinesiology majors, and have created this class so seniors can work on their balance and strength training.”
The Bowling Green Senior Center provides volunteer opportunities such as noon meal deliveries Monday through Friday, meal volunteers Tuesday through Thursday, newsletter collators, special events volunteers, clerical support, and computer instructors.
Every volunteer job takes only a couple hours per week, and helps all homebound and mobile seniors who spend time at the Senior Center.
Executive Director Denise Niese said the WCCOA provides several opportunities for students to get involved. Students can log onto wccoa.org and see what interests them, and then they can contact the WCCOA Volunteer Director Marlene Uhler, she said.
“There are a multitude of volunteer opportunities, so students can have a lot of options to choose from that best fit how much time they wish to donate to the center,” Niese said.
Niese said students can commit either an hour or two a week with serving meals, or they can become really involved and start a book club or teach classes at the senior center. She said the center is a fun and friendly atmosphere for both seniors and students at the University.
“I think it is important for students to know that this is not a residential community or a nursing home type of place,” she said. “This is a place where seniors come to be active, maintain cognitive skills and for socialization purposes.”
Every Wood County senior center, including those in the Rossford area, Northeast area, North Baltimore, Perrysburg, Wayne area and Pemberville, provide services for homebound seniors. These services include home delivered meals and medical transportation on weekdays, according to the WCCOA Web site.
The site also states the WCCOA is funded by a Wood County tax levy and also in part by a grant under the Older Americans Act administered through the Ohio Department of Aging and Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio. Additional funds are raised through Wood County senior citizens and some contributions have been made to the committee from memorials or bequests from senior citizens or their families.
This month, the WCCOA is providing trips and tours from Mackinac Island, Mich. and Cape Cod, Mass. to Chicago and Savannah, Ga. They also provided activities such as the Easter Sunday dinner and a senior spelling bee. They are also offering classes to seniors, such as a class on the Russian language, taught by University Ph.D. student Olga Kutovaya.
