The Senior Neighbors program will close its Sparta center on August 27 after 21 years of operation, leaving many seniors without their regular gathering place for activities and companionship.
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Sparta Senior Neighbors Center is closing after 21 years
The center, located inside Harvest Way Retirement Community, serves as a vital social hub for area seniors. For patrons like Donna Langworthy-Cook, who attended the center for three years, the closure represents a significant loss.
“Personally, Senior Neighbors saved my life. I was contemplating suicide sitting in my apartment, and I seen one of their buses pass by, and it said, ‘No longer alone,'” Langworthy-Cook said.
According to Senior Neighbors, the center’s location created barriers for participants. Non-residents had to enter through locked doors, making the facility appear exclusive to retirement community residents only.
“The other day, this man came down, and he says, if you don’t live here, you don’t come here,” said Anna Mae Spangenberg, another patron…