Senior Center of Western Orleans honors director Kelly Shaw on 20th anniversary

Photos by Sherry Tuohey-Sipple: The board of Medina Senior Center gathered around Kelly Shaw as she was presented with a cake for her 20 years as director. With her, from left are Sandy Thaine, secretary; Lynn Creasey, president; Jean Wetherbee, treasurer/membership secretary; Lee Smith, vice president; Ginny Kropf; Larry Morgott; Donna Frey; Jim Sipple; and Dave Lindsay.

MEDINA – The June dinner meeting of the Senior Center of Western Orleans was a special occasion Monday, with celebration of Kelly Shaw’s 20th year as director.

After a potluck meal, the seniors enjoyed a delicious cake made by Hans’s Bakery.

Shaw was pleasantly surprised and shared her love for the job and seniors. She answered the ad she saw in the Pennysaver, and with only two hours of training for running a senior center from former director Chris Capurso, Shaw jumped in wholeheartedly to maintain membership, add programming and create new fundraisers.

Kelly Shaw was honored Monday at the June meeting of the Western Orleans Senior Center in Medina for 20 years as director of the organization.

She had previously worked for a bank in Albion until her department shut down.

“I had also worked for 10 years in a nursing home, so I knew I would get along very well with seniors,” Shaw said.

She said what she did was just “common sense” stuff.

With small (and much appreciated) donations from the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway, the village of Medina and United Way, it was necessary for the Senior Center to have fundraisers to keep going.

Shaw introduced two basket raffles a year (which net several thousand dollars), cash drawings, rummage sales, a monthly drawing for donated prizes (which brings in $700 to $800 a year) and in recent years, a very successful chicken barbecue.

“I couldn’t do any of these things with the support and cooperation of my volunteers,” Shaw said.

Once a month, craft classes are held, and every Wednesday morning the Office for the Aging holds exercise classes at the Center.

Card games have become increasingly popular, with euchre every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. and pinochle on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The Senior Center is open from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday and Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and noon to 4 on Friday. Day-old baked goods from Tops are available to members every day. Shaw has also provided leftover baked goods to the homeless.

Membership runs from 275, to 400 at its peak, and new members are always welcome. It costs only $10 a year to join.

The monthly luncheon meeting is a prepared meal three times a month, and potluck one week. Catered meals are provided on major holidays, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. An annual picnic takes place every summer.

Shaw said the best part of her job is spending the day with all her friends.

“Never once in 20 years did I consider this a job,” she said.