Seniors filling active living void - themselves

BY NANCY KELLY

Kings County Register



Between twice-monthly afternoon card parties and regularly scheduled special events, members of the Kingston Area Seniors Association are keeping active.

Frank Turton is president of the group, which sprang to life to “fill a bit of a void.� When he and his wife, Rose, moved to Kingston a couple of years ago, they headed to the village office to get information about seniors’ groups in the area.

“We were surprised there wasn’t an organization run by seniors for seniors,� says Turton.

With a helping hand from Kingston’s then-Active Lifestyles co-ordinator, Joe Quercia, seniors living in and around Kingston/ Greenwood started meeting in October of 2005. The organization received its charter in April of 2006 and now boasts 40 paid members.

Tom Cushing is in charge of public relations and says most of the membership base comes from Kingston, Greenwood and Aylesford.

“But we do have some that come from Annapolis County - and there is really no limit to our membership,� says Cushing, adding the time has come for the club to think about growth.

“Without some kind of a goal, we won’t go anywhere, so we need to determine where it is we want to be in terms of numbers.�

The group meets on the second and fourth Friday afternoons of each month at the Kingston Lions Hall for its “fundays.� Turton says card games and socializing are the main objective. Members are also invited to a once-monthly meeting, where club business is conducted and plans for other activities are discussed.

“Being a club, we encourage involvement from the members and we are also looking for ideas for excursions and activities,� notes Turton. Most recently, the club has organized theatre nights, casino trips and visits to Grand Pre and the Bear River Cultural Centre.

“The idea is not to monopolize people’s time, but it would be ideal to have a special activity planned once a month,� says Turton.

Membership in the association costs $10 per year and seniors interested in learning more can drop by the Lions hall during “fundays� from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on a twice-monthly basis; calling 765-3601; or emailing turtonfr@ns.sympatico.ca.