Marienville

MACA Building

927-6607:

Monday (12-10): game day; cards; lunch at 11:45; bonus bingo after lunch; Christmas decorating

Wednesday (12-12): cards; exercise at 11:30 am; lunch at 11:45 am; bingo after lunch

Friday (12-14): Switched from the 13th due to a special speaker; crafts at 9:30 am; lunch at 11:45 a; bingo after lunch

Endeavor

Township Building

463-7774:

Tuesday (12-11): cards; Left Right Center game; lunch at 11:45 am

Wednesday (12-12): crafts; cards; games; lunch at 11:45 am

Friday (12-14): games; bingo at 10:30 am; lunch at 11:45 am

Tidioute

Tidioute Towers

484-3020:

Monday (12-10): cards; adult coloring; lunch at noon; games

Tuesday (12-11): cards; adult coloring; bingo; lunch at noon; games

Thursday: (12-13): cards; adult coloring; lunch at noon; games

Sheffield

Pickering St.

968-5667

Win a Gift Box Santa filled with holiday surprises. Receive one free ticket every day you visit the Senior Center. Winner will be drawn at the Christmas party on December 20.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) — this program assists eligible low-income households with their heating costs, bill payment assistance, energy crisis assistance, weatherization, and energy-related home repairs. If you would like an application, call or stop into the Center; we are here to help.

Monday (12-10): Lynn will be here for Gab Fest at 11 a.m. This is one of our most popular programs; Exercise class, 3 p.m.

Tuesday (12-11): Mystery lunch, call or stop in to sign up for this fun bus trip.

Wednesday (12-12): No cards (sorry).

Thursday (12-13): Root Beer Float Day; Chair exercises at 11:30 a.m.; Bingo after lunch; Exercise class, 3 p.m.

Friday (12-14): Craft Circle after lunch.

Allegheny

Community Center, TAWC Building, 2nd floor, at 42 Clark St., 723-3237:

Monday (12-10): Pool, 9:30am; Hand & Foot Cards, 9:30 am; Tai Chi, (free of charge) at 11am; Congregate lunch & Bistro salads ($3 donation for 60 yrs. and over) available at noon; Scrabble, 12:30 pm; Bingo & Cards, 1 pm

Tuesday (12-11): Bible study, Hearing Screening (free), 10:00 am; Healthy Steps in Motion low-impact exercise class (free of charge), 11 am; Youth Connection performing, 11 am; Christian Women’s Luncheon and meeting, noon; Congregate lunch & Bistro salads ($3 donation for 60 yrs. and over) available at noon; bridge, 12:30 pm; Allegheny Belles line dancing, Pinochle, Left-Right-Center game, 12:45 pm

Wednesday (12-12): Grandma’s Holiday Cookie Sale 9:30 am to 3pm! Wednesday Walking 9 am; Make It Bake It, 9:30 am; Brain Games, 11 am; Warren Manor Therapy consultation, 11:30 am; Congregate lunch & Bistro salads ($3 donation for 60 yrs. and over) available at noon; cards, 12:30 pm; Sunshine Bowling League, 12:30 pm; Allegheny Belles line dancing, 12:45 pm; Mah-Jong; Mah-Jong, Warren Manor Bingo,1 pm; Tree decorating, 2 pm

Thursday (12-13): Grandma’s Holiday Cookie Sale 9:30 am until sold out! Watercolor class with Celia Knapp, 9 am-noon; Healthy Steps in Motion low-impact exercise class (free of charge), 11 am; special music program, 11:30 am; Birthday Celebration with cake donated by Warren Manor at lunch, Congregate lunch ($3 donation) & Bistro salads available at noon; T.O.P.S. weigh-in at 12 noon; T.O.P.S. meeting at 12:30 pm; Bingo, 12:45 pm; Out and About to Richard’s Restaurant.

Fridays: ACC closed on Fridays but a lunch is available to all ACC participants at the First United Methodist Church in Warren at noon. Donation is $3/person. Reservations suggested by calling 814-723-4930.

December special events at the ACC – The ACC Auxiliary is collecting hats, mittens, scarves and clothes, sizes 2t to 6t to benefit children in the Head Start Classes. Drop off your donations at the ACC by December 17th. Don’t miss the Youth Connection performing on December 11th at 11 am. The ACC Auxiliary is coordinating the Grandma’s Holiday Cookie sale on December 12th & 13th, from 9:30 am to 3 pm each day. This fundraiser will benefit the center’s many activities and programs. Cookies sell out quickly! Sign up early for the December 14th Out and About dinner to Richard’s Restaurant and the 18th ‘View the Lights’, sign-ups are required for both bus trips. December 20th attend the ACC’s Christmas Luncheon with entertainment provided by pianist Joe Glarner. The ACC is closed on December 24th and 25th for Christmas and on January 1st for New Years.

TAI-CHI for ARTHRITIS – Mondays at 11:00 in the education room. Tai-chi has been shown to improve flexibility and balance. This Health & Wellness class is free to all participants. Another free class is the Healthy Steps in Motion Exercise Class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 to 11:30 in the Rec Room. They are both evidenced-based classes that have been proven to improve your health! Class is almost full so call to sign up (814-723-3237).

For the budding artist you, the ACC has painting classes for you to enjoy. Learn a new skill or hone your artistic talent! Local artist, Celia Knapp, will offer watercolor classes every Thursday from 9 am to Noon in the dining room. This class is for everyone from beginner to advanced. Call Celia at her home to sign up – call 726-1667. Cost is $15 per class.

You’re invited to the Allegheny Community Center to enjoy playing bridge in the Rec Room at 12:30 am, or pinochle in the dining room at 12:45, every Tuesday afternoon. Bingo is played after lunch on Mondays and Thursdays. Scrabble is played on Mondays at 12:45 in the Rec Room. The ACC has a beautiful billiards table for you to hone up your skills on in the dining room. Players meet Mondays and Wednesdays at 9:30 am. Card and game players are always invited to play with no advance signup required.

Remember to call ACC at 723-4180 by 11:00 am at least 2 DAYS IN ADVANCE to make your noon lunch reservations. A monthly meal calendar can be picked up at the center and meals can be reserved well in advance, just not less than 2 days in advance. The suggested reserved-meal donation for all those 60 and over is $3, those under 60 years of age pay $4/person. All noon lunches are well balanced and planned to provide maximum nutritional benefits. For more information about the ACC programs call the number above or visit their website at http://www.alleghenycommunitycenter.com/.

ACC is open Mondays through Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ACC is closed on Fridays, legal holidays and on those days when Warren County schools are closed unexpectedly due to bad weather.

For more information on Aging Services, call Experience, Inc., the Warren/Forest Area Agency on Aging at 814-723-3763 or visit their website at http://www.experienceinc.org/.

Volunteering

Making a difference

at our local senior

community centers

Meal Service -Volunteers are needed in centers to help in the kitchen and for clean-up for meal service. The ACC needs volunteers on Monday and Wednesday.

VITA Tax preparers and schedulers – see VITA article below for more info

Custodial Service – Love to clean? Volunteers are also needed at the ACC to assist the staff with daily or weekly cleaning.

Landscaping – The river bank and parking lots at the Allegheny Community Center are in need of some TLC and landscaping.

Teach a class! – Have a hobby or skill that you would like to share? Call Sue at the ACC to talk about the possibilities!

Blankets for Babies, the Cancer Center and the Vets Hospital – love to knit, crochet or sew? We collect and distribute blankets throughout our area to those in need.

*Yarn is needed for these programs.

If you have new skein or partially used skeins of yarn that you are not going to use, we have volunteers who will make blankets for donation

At the Toy Shoppe – Also located on the grounds of the Warren State Hospital – help to make wooden toys that are gifted to local children. Make a Difference!

Help at your local senior center with meal preparation, office work or just assisting the staff with cleaning! Call Sue at the ACC for more info at 814-723-3237.

Become an Ombudsman (which is Swedish for “citizen representative”) to be an advocate of elderly residents in Personal Care Homes, Nursing Facilities, Domiciliary Care Homes, and anyone receiving Long Term Care Services in the community. Interested? Call Joy at Experience, Inc. at 814-723-3763 ext. 125.

Learn how to help people with their Medicare and other State benefits as an APPRISE counselor. APPRISE is the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for Pennsylvania’s Medicare Beneficiaries. APPRISE will help Pennsylvanians with Medicare understand their health insurance options and help them make sound decisions about what is best for them. Call Elaine Krill at Experience, Inc at 814-723-3763 ext. 123.

Interested in numbers and helping people? Here’s how to become a community tax volunteer!

The IRS needs volunteers who want to help provide free tax preparation in communities across the nation during the 2019 tax season. It might seem far off, but people who want to volunteer can start taking action now.

Locally, the ACC sponsors the VITA Tax Assistance program. It offers free tax help in Warren and Forest Counties for people with low-to-moderate incomes, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and those who speak limited English. Last year, VITA and TCE (Tax Counseling for the Elderly) volunteers prepared more than 3.5 million federal tax returns for qualified taxpayers at no cost. Locally, VITA volunteers prepared over 1000 federal and state returns as well as hundreds of PA Rent and Property Tax Rebates.

Anyone interested in volunteering for the VITA program can visit the ACC or call us at 814-723-3237.

Here are reasons people become an IRS-certified VITA volunteer:

Flexible hours. Volunteers generally serve an average of three to five hours per week. The programs are usually open from mid-to-late-January through the tax filing deadline in April. Some sites are even open all year.

VITA sites are often nearby. More than 11,000 sites were set up in neighborhoods all over the country for 2018, locally we have sites at senior centers, libraries and municipal buildings.

No prior experience needed. Volunteers receive specialized training and often serve in a variety of roles. VITA programs want volunteers of all backgrounds and ages,

Free tax law training and materials. Volunteers receive training materials at no charge. The tax law training covers how to prepare basic federal tax returns electronically. The training also covers tax topics like deductions and credits.

Continuing education credits for tax pros. Enrolled agents and non-credentialed tax return preparers can earn continuing education credits when volunteering as a VITA instructor, quality reviewer or tax return preparer.

More Information, call the ACC at 814-723-3237 or go online to visit the IRS.gov website for:

IRS Free Tax Return Preparation Programs

Link & Learn Taxes

Tax Topic 101: IRS Services – Volunteer Tax Assistance, Outreach Programs, and Identity Theft

IRS YouTube Videos

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Recruitment – English | Spanish | ASL

Volunteer schedulers are also needed at the ACC to assist staff with making VITA tax appointments, Monday through Thursday, from January through April. You can choose your hours. Computer proficiency, good telephone skills and a desire to work with the public are job requirements.

Call Sue Himes at the ACC (723-3237, extension 13) if you have questions about any of these volunteer opportunities!

Lunches

The Warren-Forest Area Agency on Aging will serve the following lunch menu at senior centers throughout Warren & Forest counties: Allegheny Community Center in Warren, 12/10 – 12/14: Monday, Swiss steak, onion gravy, cabbage & noodles, carrots, bread & fruit; Tuesday, grilled chicken bacon & Swiss club sandwich, potato soup, fruit; Wednesday, potato crusted fish, macaroni & cheese, stewed tomatoes, bread & fruit; Thursday, baked ziti with meatballs, Caesar salad, garlic breadsticks, mixed fruit salad. Marienville: Mon., Wed., & Thurs. meals from the ACC lunch schedule (one day only, Friday, the 14th, meal of pork ribette, seasoned potatoes, baked beans, rolls, sliced peaches. Endeavor: Tues. & Wed., meals from the ACC lunch schedule & Fri. meal of pork ribette, seasoned potatoes, baked beans, rolls, and sliced peaches. Tidioute: Mon., Tues. & Thurs. from the ACC lunch schedule; Sheffield: Mon. & Thurs. meals from the ACC lunch schedule & Fri. meal of pork ribette, seasoned potatoes, baked beans, rolls, and sliced peaches.

Eligible participation is 60 years and older with a suggested meal donation of $3. Under 60 years of age the cost is $4. Call AAA at 723-3763 for info about congregate meal sites center locations.

The menu is subject to change if necessary.