Every Tuesday, 84-year-old Frances Gagliano gets picked up from her house in a courtesy van and seven minutes later arrives at the Fountain Valley Senior Center to eat lunch and play bingo.

She also attends special events like dinner dances, birthday parties, shopping trips and classes that include fitness, knitting and drumming.

“I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have this place,” Gagliano said Tuesday before lunch. “I like meeting people my own age and talking about things we’re all concerned about. There’s always something going on, and the staff are so sweet and care about our welfare.”

But the Fountain Valley Senior Center — which is marking 50 years of serving older people primarily from the Security-Widefield-Fountain area south of Colorado Springs — is in a dire financial situation, said Executive Director Mark Bowers.

Federal and state grants, which comprise 35% to 40% of its annual $650,000 operating budget, are drying up, he said, and there’s more competition for funding from strong supporters such as El Pomar Foundation and the Myron Stratton Home.

“For so many years we’ve made it work and made a go of it, but it’s now time that we ask the community and folks who have family members who use the facility to step up and donate,” Bowers said.

Over the past six months, the nonprofit senior center laid off two employees and scaled back expenses by reducing transportation rides by 20%. Thirteen part-time staff, all ages 50 and older, remain. But it’s unknown for how long.

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“We’re looking at probably a couple of months and then we are going to be in the red,” Bowers said. “If we don’t get some help pretty soon, we’re going to look very seriously at having to lay off most of our staff and cut our services down to a minimum, which will affect a lot of the seniors we serve.”

Meals, wellness programs and outreach would be adversely impacted, he said.

About 900 seniors a month come to the center at 5745 Southmoor Drive in Fountain for a variety of services, including 200 people a week who seek out the hot lunch program. Nearly all users rely on the center’s transportation for medical and dental appointments, grocery shopping and outings such as monthly restaurant excursions.

Donations are accepted for such services but not required for those who can’t give, Gagliano said, which is a lifesaver for seniors on fixed incomes. Bowers said 60% of the center’s clients live at or below the federal poverty level.

“A lot of it is getting seniors out and keeping them from being isolated, which is very detrimental to their physical and mental well-being,” Bowers said. “This gives them a way to socialize, which studies have shown is important.”

Gagliano talks up the senior center a lot.

“Every time I meet a new senior I tell them about this place,” she said. “I just love it.”

In the United States, older people are often forgotten about, Bowers said.

“Society really needs to think about what they have given and what they have gone through and be supportive,” he said. “We all have parents, grandparents, and we owe seniors the respect and a place for them to gather.

“We would hate to have to close our doors. It would be devastating.”

Contributions can be made online at www.fvscenter.org or by mailing donations to: Fountain Valley Senior Center, 5745 Southmoor Drive, Fountain, CO 80817. For more information, call the center at (719) 600-2644. 

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