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Vol 43 • No. 7
www.theactiveage.com Kansas’ Largest Newspaper
June 2022
In Newton, mix of ages ‘just adds a lot of life’
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June Thomsen encourages a student in the Apple-A-Day preschool, located in Newton Presbyterian Manor where Thomsen lives.
By Joe Stumpe NEWTON — “Intergenerational interaction” is one of the hottest concepts around, based on the idea that people of different ages can learn and benefit from each other. It seems that Newton Presbyterian Manor anticipated the trend. The senior living community last month celebrated the 30th anniversary of opening the Apple-A-Day preschool inside its halls. Whether residents are volunteering at the preschool or just occasionally interacting with the children, they like it. “Oh, it’s great,” June Thomsen, who volunteers in the preschool one day a week, said. “You get to play with Play-Doh. And you get lots of steps going to the restroom.” Thomsen is one of five Newtonians who currently volunteer
at the school. “From my perspective, they bring an extra set of hands and an extra heart to give love and kindness to children who may be having a difficult day or who just need special attention on a particular day,” said Renee Hamm, the preschool director. “They allow the teachers and myself to do our jobs. They are our bonus adults in the classroom.” The unusual arrangement came about in 1992 when a popular preschool here announced it was closing. An employee of Presbyterian Manor suggested taking it on. “It was the first to be located in a (senior living) facility,” Hamm said, adding that it took the state a while to figure out how various regulations would apply. Presbyterian Manor See Newton, page 16
Derby Senior Center: role model or outlier? By Mary Clarkin DERBY — Gloria Jaeckel found plenty of kindred souls when she joined the Community Quilters group at the Derby Senior Center. “Some of my best friends are people I met two years ago,” Jaeckel said. Those friends don’t think it’s unusual that Jaeckel drives south from her home in Wichita to the Derby center each Thursday afternoon. The Derby center has become known for attracting members from outside Derby city limits. As some area senior centers struggle with funding, staffing, membership and other issues, the Derby center is seen as somewhat of a model for what senior centers can be. “Derby is very special and unique,” Sedgwick County Commissioner Jim Howell, whose district includes Derby,
Questions about services?
said during a recent commission meeting. Among other things, the Derby center is one of only two in Kansas accredited by the National Institute of Senior Centers. The other is Heritage Center of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City in Overland Park. The Derby Senior Center is one of 15 senior centers Line dance lessons at the Derby Senior Center currently financially draw people from Wichita and other area cities. assisted by Sedgwick County. Its 3,300-plus membership “sign-ins” by members at the Derby dwarfs numbers for other centers. Senior Center, according to Deputy In April, there were 2,360 See Derby, page 6
Central Plains Area Agency on Aging/Sedgwick County Department on Aging: 1-855-200-2372
Butler County: (316) 775-0500 or 1-800-279-3655 Harvey County: (316) 284-6880 or 1-800-279-3655