Dungannon's MacKay Centre celebrates one-year anniversary
BY SCOTT STEPHENSON
On June 4, the MacKay Centre celebrated the one-year anniversary of its first satellite hub: the Seniors Active Living Centre (SALC) in Dungannon. The occasion was marked with a barbecue luncheon, games and a review of a year spent building community connections in Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh (ACW).
The SALC is located at the Dungannon Community Centre on Albert Street. For the past year, it has served as a satellite hub of the MacKay Centre for Seniors in Goderich, which has been operating for 45 years. The centre offers a variety of programs, workshops and other activities for adults aged 55 and older.
As she looked back on the opening day held one year ago, Executive Director Stephanie Hartwick recalled slightly less favourable weather conditions. “One year ago today, we opened the doors and we had a big kickoff, and it was super windy outside!” she recounted. “We were trying to speak over the almost tornado-like winds to get the introductions done before the sky opened and the rain came out, so this is so exciting - we are being blessed with a 30-degree day today, and the sun is finally shining.”
Hartwick had high praise for the programming at SALC, and Program Co-ordinator Logan Curran. “Logan started the first actual programs here,” she told the crowd. “We have had amazing art workshops, craft workshops, Tai Chi, cards, fitness, some great tours, social time - there’s just so much going on!”
For Curran, the first year in Dungannon brought both excitement and a few lessons about running programs in a rural community. “It’s been a very exciting and wild year of ups and downs and trying to determine how the weather impacts attendance,” he quipped.
Hartwick highlighted that seniors’ programming isn’t just about staying active - it’s about maintaining personal connections. “We’re losing that connection,” she pointed out. “Especially with cell phones and computers. It’s really important to have a space that can be a central place for people to get together and just chat with one another.”
In its first year, ACW’s new seniors’ centre amassed 32 members. Curran is confident those numbers will increase as word about SALC spreads. “It comes from word of mouth,” he explained. “The way people know what’s happening is when someone else talks about it, and says, ‘oh, you missed this really fun event.’ Then they don’t want to miss the next one!”
The Dungannon centre is one of nearly 400 seniors’ centres funded partially through Ontario's Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility. “They fund [around] 400 seniors’ centres now in Ontario, and this site, in Dungannon, is one of the most recent rollouts of new seniors’ centres in rural areas,” Hartwick pointed out. “When we did our strategic plan two years ago, we noticed that we needed to expand our services. We were getting people from ACW coming to join, and we thought, ‘Well, if we can bring it out to the community, let’s do that!’”
With a full calendar of programming planned for the months ahead, including a wellness fair scheduled for July, organizers hope that the centre’s second year in Dungannon will build on the momentum created during its successful first year.
Hartwick also emphasized that SALC’s future success depends on continuing to reach residents throughout the township. “One of the key things that we really need to get the word out about is that the MacKay Centre is a place for seniors in all of ACW - it’s not just for Dungannon,” she said. “Dungannon was just the perfect site for us to host the SALC. We are here Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Everybody is welcome, and we would love to have anyone in the surrounding area come.”