On a cold Wednesday morning, Judy Jones stands outside the Collinsville Senior Center waving cars into place and pointing drivers toward any open spot she can find. A full house is a good problem to have — but parking is the headache that comes with it.
“Parking is the biggest problem,” Judy said with a laugh. Some days, participants get blocked in. They’d love more spaces, but they’ve also learned to roll with it.
“If we get blocked in, it just gives us more time to spend with our friends,” one participant joked.
And that’s the point. Parking won’t stop anyone from coming.
Tucked inside a public housing community at 103 Truman Lane — just behind the Piggly Wiggly on South Valley Avenue — the center is where longtime friends and newcomers gather for singing, a mid-morning devotion, laughter, Bingo and other games, puzzles, conversation and lunch.
For many, it’s the place that gets them up, dressed and out the door.
Judy has managed the center since August 2019 finding a job that offered extra income and something more meaningful: community.
On busy days, the center serves 17 meals in-house, with volunteers delivering another 17 homebound meals. There are 22 people in the town who receive frozen meals delivered to their homes each week.
“You can only clean your house so much”
For Anita Bowers, 69, the center offered something retirement couldn’t: a change of scenery and people to talk to.
“I was bored being at home all the time after I retired from Head Start,” Anita said. “You can only clean your house so much. Here, it’s fun to get out and talk to everybody, and I enjoy eating lunch here.”
Across the room, Larry Tucker, 81, says he feels “about 102 sometimes,” then grins.
“I didn’t know I knew so many people here until I started coming,” he said. “And I don’t like them,” he added with a laugh — “but I still come.”
He also has no complaints about lunch.
“I enjoy eating everything they serve,” Larry said.
That mix of humor and history is part of what gives the Collinsville Senior Center its heartbeat.
Many participants grew up together. Others arrived later in life and found they weren’t “new” for long.
The man who stopped by once — and never stopped coming
When Barney Stone, 89, came through the door, he wasn’t looking for a senior center. He was looking for a restaurant that served home-cooked meals where he could eat lunch every day. A friend told him about the center. Stone decided to stop by and see.
Judy remembers the day clearly.
“He’s been here every day since,” she said.
Barney is quick with a joke and known for a small, unexpected kindness: giving away cord-strung wood crosses to women and wood hearts to young girls.
“Sometimes I’ll give away 50 at a time,” he said. “I walked through Walmart the other day and gave one to every little kid I saw.”
He likes the smiles.
Now, the center is one of his favorite places because, he said, he doesn’t like being shut in at home.
“And we get nutritious food here,” Barney added.
Foot care with a purpose — and a calling
Once a month, participants can sign up for a pedicure with a complimentary manicure. There’s no charge, though many give a donation to Jenny Stephens, who provides the service.
Jenny is a licensed registered nurse, but she says nail care is what she was meant to do.
“It gives me such personal joy to help people,” she said. “I can tell by the way a person walks sometimes that they need help … I’ll talk with them gently and ask if I may see their feet.”
One story still sticks with her: a man who was “literally walking on his toenails.”
“As you can imagine, it was quite painful for him,” Jenny said. “But he allowed me to help him and now every time he sees me, he’s ready to have his nails trimmed.”
As people age, proper nail care can be difficult — and visiting a salon can be physically challenging or too expensive. Jenny sees the service as preventative care as much as comfort.
“I’m able to check their feet and if I see anything concerning, I take a photo of it, show them and share the photo with them so they can take it to their doctor,” she said.
Jenny visits senior centers throughout DeKalb County and also makes house calls. She said hospice nurses sometimes reach out for clients who need assistance.
“This is not a job to me,” she said. “It really is a calling.”
For Rebecca Clayton, 85, the service was a first.
“I had never had a pedicure,” Rebecca said. “I’m so thankful for the opportunity.”
After her husband died a few years ago, Rebecca wanted something to do besides sit at home. Now she considers the senior center part of her weekly routine — even when the parking situation means she might be blocked in for a bit.
“We have a lot of fun,” she said. “It’s being with people and having someone to talk to.”
Generations of friendship — and a living history lesson
For Charles Moore, 89, and his wife Gail, 86, the center connects decades of family and community ties. Gail said she brought her mother-in-law to the center in 1995. Their daughter, Elizabeth Jackson, managed the center for 17 years before she died of cancer.
The Moores have been married 67 years and share lifelong friendships with other couples at the center — including Rebecca Clayton.
“We’ve been friends since the fourth grade,” Gail said. “We all graduated high school together and go to church together “— as well as attend the senior center.
The Moores also preserve Collinsville’s history at home. Using his woodworking skills, Charles built a replica of downtown Collinsville. The old movie theater model was displayed at the state capitol, and the couple welcomes schoolchildren and visitors to see the replica and learn local history.
“I have a story about every one of them,” said Gail, who also volunteers at the Collinsville Museum.
When grief could have stayed — but didn’t
For Donzella Dailey, 83, the center became a lifeline after loss. Her sister invited her after Donzella’s husband died about three years ago.
“I’ve been coming here ever since, and now she’s gone,” Donzella said. “But it still gets me up and out of the house every morning.”
Some mornings, she admits, are harder than others.
“Some mornings I don’t want to … but I eventually get going and it does break up the day,” she said. “It is a help to me. I enjoy seeing everybody, and many of us love to sing, which I also enjoy. Otherwise I’d be sitting at home by myself and the days get long when you do that.”
Vivien Jones, 66, has only been attending about six months. She retired last June and knew she didn’t want to be isolated at home.
“I wanted to be around people my age or older,” she said.
She found more than company. When she got sick and had surgery, people from the center checked on her.
“Everyone here has been good to me,” Vivien said. “I have made friends here.”
“Feeding people physically and spiritually”
For Andy Crow, 71, the center is where people are fed— “physically and spiritually.”
His first connection came during the COVID era, when he picked up meals for his in-laws. After they passed away, Judy asked him a simple question: why not come yourself?
Andy began helping with singing and devotion. Though he retired from his professional career early for health reasons, he stays busy — from launching a mission program to Africa to starting, growing and selling an outdoor furniture company. He also reconnected with his biological mother in Germany and discovered two half-siblings.
At the center, Andy is simply one more familiar face.
Newcomer Natalie Travis, 86, said she’s been attending a little over a year after hearing about it through church.
“Andy talked me into trying it,” she said. “And I’ve been here ever since.”
A center that keeps showing up for people
Other regulars include Janice Bone, 88, who has attended for 20 years or more, and Leon Hufstetler, 86, and his wife of 64 years, Elaine, 81, who come almost every day.
“It’s a great place to be,” Elaine said.
Volunteer Elfredia Bowers, 70, used to stop by only for meals until Judy encouraged her to come inside.
“I like serving others — it’s my calling,” she said. “I encourage people to come because we have a lot of fun here. We laugh a lot, and everyone seems to care about each other here.”
And that’s what’s happening on that cold Wednesday morning as Judy keeps directing cars, juggling a crowded lot and greeting everyone by name. The spaces may be tight, but inside the Collinsville Senior Center, the welcome is wide.
For information about the Collinsville Senior Center in DeKalb County, stop by Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., or call 256-524-2550.
