By Hayleigh Gowans
Staff Writer
In December, a new face joined the Manlius Senior Centre as the executive director — Manlius resident Ann Smith.
Smith replaced director of 15 years Marlene Macfarlane in the position, which keeps the senior center programs running and evolving.
The MSC offers a wide variety of programs to the aging population of the community and currently has a membership of about 600 people, including village of Manlius residents and those from other communities. It was started as a group in 1953 that held monthly meetings at the First Baptist Church in the early years and, in the 1980s, former mayor Arkie Albanese decided set aside two rooms in the current village offices for activities.
A lunch is served at the facility Monday to Thursday, and the MSC offers a variety of exercise classes, card games, informational classes, speaker series and other activities to meet the needs of their members.
Now that Smith has had some time to settle into her new position, the Eagle Bulletin has asked her to sit down for an interview to introduce herself to the community. Here are some questions and her responses:
Can you offer a bit of background on yourself?
I’m originally from Wisconsin, and after my husband and I met we moved to Manlius almost 20 years ago. We love it here and we love this community. I have a business and communications degree and I was a flight attendant for 20 years for Northwest Airlines. I’ve always worked with seniors, even as a flight attendant I took care of seniors in my off time just because I love it.
I worked for Home Aides as a certified home health aide for two years. And then I worked for Sheila Ohstrom’s company Senior Homecare Solutions for five years. Around the community I’ve done a lot of volunteer work. I’m a Girl Scout leader, and I volunteer for Clear Path for Veterans. At my church, St. Ann’s, I’m on the Christian Service Committee.
How has your experience in the new position been so far?
It’s been wonderful. This kind of job is new to me but I love coming to work and I think it’s because it’s a very fun, uplifting atmosphere. People really want to be here. The seniors have been so welcoming and friendly, it’s unbelievable, and the staff has been so supportive. We have dedicated volunteers that are unbelievable. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to be open. It’s made my job a lot easier to fall into. It’s been great, I love it.
What attracted you to the Manlius Senior Centre?
I used to bring my clients here, so that’s how I got to know them, when I worked for Senior Homecare Solutions, so I went to the classes, I went to speakers and I was like, ‘Gosh, this place is really great!’ So when I found out the [executive director] position opened, I interviewed.
What has your impression of the job been so far?
The volunteers, seniors and staff really keep this place going. What impresses me is that even if we have a snowstorm, the seniors still show up. We did a ‘Meet the Director Day’ a few weeks ago and it was pouring rain and 34 degrees and 50 people showed up. They’re very hearty and dedicated to the senior center. People want to be here. That’s what I think is most impressive.
Why is having the Manlius Senior Centre in the community beneficial?
We get people out of their houses. For socialization, people just want to be together. The Manlius Senior Centre is a great place to do that because there’s so many activities and programs and there’s always something going on and that’s what really important. You can always find something to do here.
What have you learned so far in this position?
To fulfill everyone’s need is difficult. We want to make sure everyone is getting their needs fulfilled. This is their senior center so we want them to get out of it as much as they can. You want to make everyone happy, it’s hard. We have limited funding and time, so it’s hard sometimes.
Do you have any plans for the future?
We have a lot of fun events we’ve planned for the next two months, like a Valentine’s Day luncheon and ice cream social. We kind of filled the calendar for the next few months. We have a big tag sale in April. There’s a lot of fundraisers coming up. I want to work on getting people to know about us and what we do. What I’ve found is that not everyone knows we’re here. I think a lot of people see a senior center and think it’s a lot of older people sitting around just playing bingo, but we’re not that, we’re so much more than that. Everyone here is young at heart.
To learn more about the Manlius Senior Centre, or how to donate or volunteer, go to manliusseniors.org or call 315-682-7889.
