By Taylor Boyd
The Patrick County Senior Citizens Group gives older adults an opportunity to enjoy fellowship, food and entertainment through its monthly luncheons.
Planning Committee Chair and Treasurer Judy Lacks said the group was founded in 2012 after Louise Goard, whom Lacks calls “the mother of the senior citizen group,” approached former Recreation Director Clyde Crissman with an idea.
“Because the Recreation Department did so many things for our youth, she pitched him the idea of these monthly meetings where we have entertainment, we would do door prizes, we would have food, we would have fellowship. It has existed, except for the three years we did not meet because of COVID,” she said.
After retiring in 2017, Lacks said Goard asked her to join the group’s steering committee.
“She made me promise that I would keep this going, and I’m trying to live up to that promise to her,” she said.
The group meets on the second Thursday of each month at the Hooker Building at Rotary Field in Stuart. Meetings begin at 11 a.m. and typically conclude by 1:30 p.m.
In addition to providing an opportunity for seniors to socialize, Lacks said Blue Ridge Therapy Connection offers free blood pressure checks during each luncheon.
“Our mission is to serve our seniors because they have served us as citizens,” she said.
Volunteer musicians provide the entertainment each month, Lacks said.
“They do this out of the goodness of their heart to share back with the seniors, and we’re just so appreciative,” she said.
Meals vary from month to month. Some luncheons are potluck-style, while community organizations occasionally provide meals.
“The Landmark does a meal for us one month a year and the Reynolds Homestead does a meal for us one of the months. The Stuart Rotary Club is doing a meal for us in December, and we use the donations sometimes to pay part of it and the citizens may just bring a dessert like they are in June,” she said.
Attendance typically ranges from 80 to 90 people, with newcomers regularly joining the group.
“People who come aren’t necessarily from Patrick County. We have people here from Carroll County today, a number of people from Henry County, from Stokes County, from Surry County, so all surrounding areas are welcome to come to our meetings,” she said.
In addition to the monthly gatherings, Lacks organizes three trips each year for interested seniors.
“Usually one overnight trip and two day trips. Of course the participants have to pay their own cost for that,” she said.
The next trip is a four-day, three-night visit to Virginia’s Eastern Shore in June. In August, the group plans a day trip to Selma, North Carolina, to attend the Classic Country Jubilee at the Rudy Theatre. In December, participants will travel to the Wohlfahrt Haus Dinner Theatre in Wytheville to see “An Appalachian Christmas.”
Lacks said the organization operates primarily on donations and receives no state or federal funding.
“We have existed on the generosity of this community. I’m not from Patrick County, but I’ve lived in a lot of rural communities, and I’ve never seen a community like Patrick County that rises to the occasion when there’s a need. When I thought our treasury was going to get low and we might not be able to buy the paper products, somebody gave forward and it was provided,” she said.
She said the Patrick County Board of Supervisors also has recognized the group’s needs.
“We hope in our next upcoming budget we’ll have $3,000 to help pay for our paper products and our meal or so a month,” she said.
For more information, contact the Patrick County Recreation Department at 276-694-3917 or Judy Lacks at 276-694-4767.
