By Drew Johnson
Last week Don Saldia, who runs the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) in Kalamazoo, came to visit Vicksburg Rotary and talk about the programs that are available through AAA and its partners to assist local seniors. Most of these services are funded through the senior millage, which is up for renewal August 6. I was thinking back on what was available for seniors when I started at SCCS ten years ago and was amazed at how much more support seniors in our county have now. As I mentioned at the talk, I remember working with seniors before the millage who had friends in other counties who were getting services that were not available in Kalamazoo County. I thought I would use my column this month to talk about how support from the millage has helped local agencies like us bring important services to seniors.
The senior millage provides the infrastructure for almost all of our senior programming, because it funds two positions for us: our senior outreach coordinator, Brian Penny, and our transportation coordinator, Tamra Stafford. Together, they run all of the following programs for seniors: free transportation to and from doctor’s appointments, food deliveries, senior holidays, walking group, dining vouchers, information and referrals, and Safe At Home. All of these services are available at no cost to residents 60 years of age or older.
Safe At Home is a great example of how the millage supports SCCS and the South County area. Safe At Home is a program that provides free home safety assessments and modifications for seniors. It started as a pilot through Vicksburg Rotary, which provided initial funding and the majority of volunteers, and is now coordinated by our senior outreach coordinator. Over the years we have received additional funding from Vicksburg United Way and the Vicksburg Community Foundation in order to continue the program. This year, we are working with Area Agency on Aging to secure additional funding for Safe At Home, which should carry us through another year. Local funding and volunteer support paired with funds from the senior millage and the infrastructure that it provides have been key to the Safe At Home program and many other senior offerings at SCCS.
As we expand our senior programming, we hope to continue to rely on the senior millage. We were awarded funds by the Vicksburg Community Foundation for a new position to coordinate our nascent senior center (!!!), for example, that we hope will one day be supported by the millage. And, of course, we hope to have Brian and Tamra around for a long time.
Drew Johnson lives in Kalamazoo and is the Director at South County Community Services. He has a small quarter acre homestead with chickens, bees, and hops (and more!), a wonderful wife, and three energetic children. He can be reached at 649-2901 or ajohnson@southcountycs.com
For more information on South County Community Services, please check out our Facebook page at facebook.com/southcountycs or visit our website: southcountycs.com.
