Mr. Steve Cody, age 55, recently became the 1,000 person to join the Fayette Senior Services’ Life Enrichment Center. To celebrate the milestone, he was presented with a Fayette Senior Services baseball cap, T-shirt, a gift certificate to dine at the Center’s Café, and a free 12-month center membership.

Executive Director Debbie Britt stated, “To understand the significance of this achievement, you have to know where we were just seven months ago.”

Britt explains, “When we were in the little house on Lee Street, we were providing more than 40,000 Meals on Wheels each year and a wide variety of other important social services for seniors throughout Fayette County; but we only had 38 seniors coming to the center each day for meals and activities. In January 2008, when we opened the doors to our new 22,000 square foot multipurpose center, we hit the ground running and our member-base of 38 grew very rapidly. The fast-growth clearly signifies a new era in senior services in Fayette County.”

Fayette County has the third fastest growing senior population in metro Atlanta and the staff at Fayette Senior Services knew that their new building, made possible by the Fayette County Board of Commissioners and Fayette Senior Services Capital Campaign donors, was just a first step in being able to meet the growing demand for aging services in the county.

“The new building gave us the capacity to provide more seniors with programs that encompass health, recreational, educational, cultural, nutritional and social service needs. This is how a 21st Century multipurpose senior center is defined. Gone are the days of bingo and institutional food,” Britt said. “We strive to meet the diverse needs and interests of a wide age-range of older adults. Our Life Enrichment Center is for anyone age 50 and better and we attribute our growth to word-of-mouth promotion for the center. Our members enjoy their experience here and tell others. You can’t buy that kind of advertising.”

With a bright spotlight now shining on Fayette Senior Services, Britt is often asked what has been the secret to the agency’s success. “It’s simple. Fayette County’s demographics hold us accountable to understanding and meeting the needs of our fast-growing senior population. First, and most importantly, we must be able to meet the demand for important social services for seniors with specialized needs to help them remain independent longer. Second, we strive to offer diverse and interesting programs that appeal to a wide age-range, including baby boomers. Third, it’s all about synergy…working together as a community for senior advocacy. Our staff and volunteers are extremely passionate about creating a community of positive aging.”

Fayette Senior Services, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, offers adults age 50 and better, the opportunity to be involved in a variety of social, leisure, educational, wellness and life-enriching activities. Since 1978, the agency has also provided adults age 60 and better with services to improve their quality of life such as Meals on Wheels, adult day referral service, information and referral, transportation services, in-home services and case management. For more information, call 770-461-0813 or visit www.fayss.org.

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