Marienville

MACA Building

927-6607:

Monday (2-18): The Center is closed in honor of President’s Day

Wednesday (2-20): cards; exercise at 11:30 am; lunch at 11:45 am; bingo after lunch

Thursday (2-21): crafts at 9:30 am; lunch at 11:45 a; bingo after lunch

Endeavor

Township Building

463-7774:

Tuesday (2-19): cards; Left Right Center game; lunch at 11:45 am

Wednesday (2-20): crafts; cards; games; lunch at 11:45 am

Friday (2-22): games; bingo at 10:30 am; lunch at 11:45 am

Tidioute

Tidioute Towers

484-3020:

Monday (2-18): The Center is closed in honor of President’s Day

Tuesday (2-19): cards, adult coloring; bingo; lunch at noon; games

Thursday: (2-21): cards; adult coloring; lunch at noon; games

Sheffield

Pickering St.

968-5667

Monday (2-18): Closed for President’s Day

Tuesday (2-19): Senior day out, lunch then shopping at Walmart; Game night, 6 p.m.

Thursday (2-21): Trash and treasure bingo after lunch; ice cream for an afternoon snack

Friday (2-22): Coffee and puzzle morning; Nickle bingo at 9 a.m.

Allegheny

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

Monday (2-18): The Center is closed in honor of President’s Day

Tuesday (2-19): Bible study, 10:00 am; Healthy Steps in Motion low-impact exercise class (free of charge), 11 am; Congregate lunch & Bistro salads ($3 donation for 60 yrs. and over) available at noon; Christian Women’s luncheon and meeting at noon; bridge, 12:30 pm; Allegheny Belles line dancing , Pinochle, Left-Right-Center game, 12:45 pm; Pool, Mind Matters Class on Brain Fitness, 2 pm.

Wednesday (2-20): Wednesday Walking 9 am; Cribbage, 10 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-Jongg

Thursday (2-21): Healthy Steps in Motion low-impact exercise class (free of charge), 11 am; Congregate lunch & Bistro salads ($3 donation) 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; Pool, 2 pm

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

Tax help is available through the ACC’s VITA Tax program. Appointments can be made for those with incomes under $54,000 for a joint return, or $35,000 for a single return, by calling 814-723-3237. Tax preparation at the ACC is by appointment only. The following is the schedule of tax preparation sites throughout the region:

— Allegheny Community Center (ACC)- 42 Clark St, Warren, Monday thru Thursday 9 am-3 pm. Call the ACC at (814) 723-3237 for appointments.

— Youngsville Borough – 40 Railroad St, Youngsville, every Tuesday beginning February 5, 9 am – 3 pm. Call the ACC at (814) 723-3237 for appointments.

— Marienville – Property Tax & Rent Rebates will be done at the Marienville Senior Center at the MACA building. Call them at (814) 927-6607. Tax prep is available at the Marienville Library on Feb 14th, 21st, 28th, or March 7th. Call the library at (814) 927-8552 to make an appointment. They are located at 106 Pine St., Marienville. Appointments can also be made for any day that the ACC has tax preparation available. Transportation to the Allegheny Community Center in Warren is available by calling the Forest County Transportation at 1- 800 -222-1706.

— Endeavor Senior Center – Tax prep schedule is available on Tuesdays, February 12th, 19th and the 26th at the Endeavor Center. Or, appointments are available any day that the ACC has tax preparation available. Transportation to the Allegheny Community Center in Warren is available by calling the Forest County Transportation at 1- 800 -222-1706. Call the ACC for appointment 723-3237.

— Tidioute Senior Center – 174 Main Street, every other Thursday beginning February 14th, from 10 am to 2 pm. Call Merla McAfoos at Tidioute Sr. Center at (814) 484-3020.

— Tionesta Library- 56 Elm Street, every other Thursday beginning Feb 7th at the Library. Consumers are to call the library at 755-4454 for appointments, which are from 10 am to 4 pm. Transportation can be made by calling the Forest County Transportation at 1- 800 -222-1706.

— Sheffield Hospitality Center- There is no tax prep being done at Sheffield this year. Please call the ACC for appointments (814)723-3237, at 42 Clark St, Warren, Monday thru Thursday 9 am-3 pm.

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! The class is almost full so call to sign up (814-723-3237).

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/.

Volunteer Opportunities

Making a difference

at our local senior

community centers

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

Volunteer needed to facilitate monthly Sing-Alongs at local nursing homes.

CD’s, song sheets, guide, and percussion instruments provided. Contact Diane Scarcella, if interested, (scarcella@atlanticbb.net (814) 688-6204)

Allegheny Community Greenhouse – Volunteers are needed beginning in February to help to plant and maintain flowers and vegetable seedlings. Very therapeutic! Call Sue at the ACC to find out more about this project at 723-3237.

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

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 a 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 – 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:

Volunteer schedulers are 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.

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.

For 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

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, 2/18-2/121- Monday: Center closed for President’s Day; Tuesday: BBQ chicken, rice, coleslaw, bread & apple/cranberry crisp; Wednesday: Mushroom Swiss burger, soup & fruit; Thursday: Crab cakes, cheesy twists, beans, rolls & fruit. Marienville: Mon.(center closed), Wed. & Thurs. meals from the ACC lunch schedule. Endeavor: Tues. & Wed., meals from the ACC lunch schedule & Fri. meal of beef burrito bowl, rice, corn/black beans & rice, fruit. Tidioute: Mon., Tues. & Thurs. from the ACC lunch schedule; Sheffield: Mon. & Thurs. meals from the ACC lunch schedule & Fri. meal of beef burrito bowl, rice, corn/black beans & rice, fruit.

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.