Marion Seniors Center - Senior Center in Marion IL

Marion Seniors Center

507 W Main St., Marion, IL 62959

(618) 997-9019

Letina Poole

“During the 1960’s and ’70’s several people of Marion had a dream- a dream for a Senior Citizens Center. On March 22, 1966, the first meeting of interested Senior Citizens was held at Zion United Church of Christ. Over time, the group grew and worked hard on many projects and in several places, in order to have a place for their gatherings. For a few years, they met at the Youth Center where their numbers continued to grow. There, a Nutrition Site was established with Williamson County Programs on Aging, and later moved to the Lion’s Club Depot. Eventually the growing group approached Mayor Robert Butler and the City Council about a building they could call a Senior Citizens Center, a place they could call their own, and where their hard work and efforts would remain through the years for the benefit of all Senior Citizens. In 1980, the City of Marion secured a HUD grant for the remodeling of the present location of the Center at 507 W. Main Street. It had previously housed a grocery store and an automobile dealership. The City Fathers appointed the original Marion Senior Citizens Council consisting of Walter Stahlhut as Chairman, Rev. W.E. Lynch as Vice-Chairman, Gertrude Craig as Secretary and Clifford Owen as Treasurer. Council members appointed were Roosevelt Greenwade, A.S. Dodd, Vivian Edmonds, O.P. Allen and Rev. Will Thomas. Williamson County Programs on Aging conducted the activities of the Center until March, 1984, when Marion chose to “paddle their own canoe,” in the words of Mayor Butler. Since that time, the programs and activities of our Center have continued to grow and expand to the Center we have today, one that we are all extremely proud of.”

Quilting; BINGO; Computer Class; Exercise; Line Dance; Bible Study; Pinochle Club; Canasta; Bridge Club

60+ years