POTTSVILLE, Pa. — The Pottsville Senior Center on North Centre Street transformed into a concert venue, kicking off a week-long celebration of Older Americans Month.
Sister Mary Jane Hahner tells Newswatch 16 she's made stopping by the Pottsville Senior Center part of her daily routine.
“And in my retirement, I dance every morning. And then I walk downtown, I get a newspaper here, and I form a community, a connection with these good people of Pottsville,” she said.
Hahner is not the only one who comes to the center on a daily basis.
Debbie Downey from Girardville first got involved with the Pottsville Senior Center as a volunteer, and as she got older, she transitioned into a participant.
“When people retire, they tend to do nothing, and this makes you do something. You laugh, you dance, you exercise, you eat, you name it, we do it here,” she added.
“Some of them have lost their spouses, others are retired from the community, but you never retire from being a human and just touching somebody,” Sister Hahner said.
The senior center in downtown Pottsville is one of four in Schuylkill County that's run by Diakon Community Services.
The nonprofit hopes that celebrating Older Americans Month serves as a reminder that life doesn't stop when you retire.
“I think, God forbid, that's why a lot of people pass away because they see it as the end. It's not the end, for me, it's the beginning. You know, your kids are grown, and it's time to have fun,” Downey explained.
Diakon Community Services will be traveling to the rest of their locations throughout Schuylkill County this week to put on more senior appreciation days.
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