Submitted Article
MEXICO, NY – Trinity Engle, program services coordinator with Oswego County Opportunities’ Senior Services Division, announced that Leona Johnson has been named manager of OCO’s Dining and Activity site for seniors in Mexico.
Located at Wilcox Hall in the Presbyterian Church on Church Street in Mexico, OCO’s Senior Dining and Activity site serves seniors in Mexico and the surrounding areas.
On Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Johnson and her volunteer staff welcome adults age 60 and above to partake in fun social activities and enjoy a hot nutritious lunch.
As site manager, Johnson will be responsible for a variety of duties such as; managing the volunteers, maintaining Department of Health food service regulations, overseeing the preparation and serving of meals, attending to the welfare of homebound clients through telephone calls and arranging for friendly home visits, and creating and implementing a schedule of events that includes arts and crafts days, guest speakers, parties, and health and wellness activities.
She will also be very active educating the community about the site’s many programs and conduct outreach to increase participation at the site.
Engle is excited about the future of the Mexico site and is pleased to have Johnson on board as site manager.
“Leona’s background and her connections to the residents of Oswego County made her a perfect choice for site manager,†Engle said. “She has a positive attitude and wonderful sense of humor that our seniors appreciate. Leona genuinely cares about the seniors in our community and has become very close with those at the Mexico Center. According to research, the main indicator of the success of a senior center is the center’s manager. They establish the atmosphere at the center and are more important than the food that is served, the building facility, or the activities presented. Leona has that ability to connect with the participants. Thanks to the efforts of our staff and the attitudes of the seniors that regularly attend, our Senior Dining and Activity Center in Mexico is a wonderful place to be, it is warm, vibrant, and welcoming.â€ÂÂ
Born and raised in Williamstown, Johnson is happy to be working at OCO’s Senior Activity and Dining Center in Mexico and views the center as an important part of the community.
“I truly enjoy working with seniors. Having lost most of the older generation in my life, I look forward to having interacting with the ‘mature’ generation,†said Johnson. “We provide much more than just a hot meal. We offer activities of all kinds ranging from fun to educational and more importantly we offer companionship. The companionship that the seniors receive from each other as well as our wonderful volunteers and myself is essential to their well-being. Depression can be a debilitating problem with the elderly and the housebound. Being able to visit our Senior Activity and Dining Center plays an important role in our seniors’ quality of life. I want to make visiting our center like going home for the seniors. I want them to feel welcome, cared about and that they are needed as much as wanted.â€ÂÂ
An active community member, Johnson lives in Williamstown with her husband, Harlow (Bud), and is a columnist for the Queen Central News in Camden and the Salmon River News in Pulaski where her column “Around Williamstown†is published.
The couple has three grown children and is the proud grandparents of four.
For more information on OCO’s Dining and Activity site in Mexico or OCO’s Senior Services Division, call Engle at 598-4712.
OCO Inc. is a not-for-profit Community Action Agency, supported by United Way, and includes seven service divisions – Senior Services, Transportation, Mental Hygiene, Health, Youth, Services to Aid Families, and Children’s.
For more information, visit www.oco.org
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