Senior Center Update for Decatur, Il
New Senior Center Announced!
Posted on January 19, 2024
The Decatur Park District has been awarded $2.8 million from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) PARC Grant Program. This grant from the IDNR will provide a newly constructed facility specifically designed for seniors. This will increase recreational opportunities, program offerings, and expand access for the social services that our Seniors so desperately need in the Decatur community.
The new Senior Center will feature a range of activities to serve an array of interests, expectations, and needs for our community’s maturing population. As of November 2023, the Macon County Senior Center and the Decatur Park District Senior Center combined to offer all services in one location and they have quickly outgrown their current facility. This new space will not only offer daily exercise programs and activities like art classes, lectures, music enrichment, cards, games, and meal service but also critical services such as counseling for senior health insurance programs, agency referrals, and other important services. The goal is to provide a one-stop shop for seniors in Decatur and Macon County.
“It’s exciting to see Decatur get support from the state, giving residents the recreational opportunities, they deserve,” said State Senator Doris Turner of Springfield. “Decatur is making tremendous progress on providing recreation for the community, especially for our seniors. These revitalization efforts will have lasting effects on the community.”
“I am pleased to see this renovation come to fruition to give our seniors a new community center, where they can stay active, socialize and learn new hobbies,” said State Rep. Sue Scherer of Decatur. “Instead of struggling to make it to different locations, all of the services will be in one central location which is what our seniors deserve.”
Along with the announcement of the $2.8 million dollar grant, the Decatur Park District is excited to announce that once this new facility is constructed, we can further expand our “one stop shop” for seniors, by partnering with CHELP, the Community Home Environment Learning Project to provide additional social services to our seniors. CHELP provides Home Care Services (both state subsidized and private pay), Adult Protective Services, Senior Access to Care/Information and Referral Services as well as they facilitate the Dementia Friendly Decatur initiative.
This example is exactly what Graceland Center for Purposeful Aging is seeking to create for older adults in the Peoria area!
New Senior Center Announced! - Decatur Park District (decatur-parks.org)