Craft shows are fun, but also a necessary way to raise funds for Galion Golden Age Center

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GALION — Sweet and savory smells lingered inside the Golden Age Center last weekend as visitors eyed home-made crafts and items at a rummage sale held to raise money for the center, which offers a multitude of activities to area senior citizens.

A bake sale offered up sweet treats, while lunch on Saturday included ham and bean soup with cornbread, sloppy joes, hot dogs, and coney dogs for hungry patrons.

Jenni Leuthold, operations manager at the Galion Golden Age Center, said they had a craft room full of craft projects people could purchase, as well as craft supplies people may have needed. She said the bake sale was by donation.

Jenna Kiser and her daughters Willow and Grace were seen picking out some homemade caramel corn to munch on.

“We also had a rummage sale with everything from clothes to household items,” Leuthold said.

On Friday afternoon, Leuthold said they had a steady stream of visitors coming through the center located on South Market Street.

“The event went well,” said Sandra Lane, treasurer of the Golden Age Center. “We’re just calculating up things now. I know we cleared several hundred dollars. To us, that’s a successful event. From everybody I’ve talked to we had a lot of people come through. So we were quite pleased.

“The ham and bean soup was quite popular and we have some left, so if you want some we’re still selling it,” Lane joked.

Lane said the fundraiser will help to make up funds the United Way is not contributing to the organization this year.

“We have to find ways to make up for that. That leaves us quite short,” she said. “I know over the years the donation they have given us has gone down, but it’s been between $20,000 and $25,000 each year. Either way you look at it, it’s a big loss for us.”

Lane said the organization has a meeting later this week to determine if they are going to hold more fundraisers for 2020, but said they can’t have too many, too frequently, because participation seems to drop off.

Lane noted there is a nominal fee of $25 a year for seniors to be a member of the Golden Age Center, but pointed out there are a number of free activities for members to take advantage of.

“Our members have access to the gym upstairs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Not too many places can you pay $25 a year and go exercise every day, five days a week if you want to.”

She said a euchre club meets at the Golden Age Center and the Crawford County Council on Aging in Bucyrus has a lunch at the Golden Age Center in one of our rooms.

“They take care of bringing the food and serving the food, but we’re providing that service so you don’t have to drive to Bucyrus to participate in their lunches,” Lane said.

Photo by Jodi Myers
Willow and Grace Kiser, and their mom Jenna Kiser, ponder additional purchases at last week’s sale at last week’s Golden Age Center sale and fundraiser. They had already bought some pop corn.
https://www.galioninquirer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2019/10/web1_thumbnail_IMG_0140.jpgPhoto by Jodi Myers
Willow and Grace Kiser, and their mom Jenna Kiser, ponder additional purchases at last week’s sale at last week’s Golden Age Center sale and fundraiser. They had already bought some pop corn.

Photo by Jodi Myers
Visitors to last week’s Galion Golden Age Center craft and rummage sale look over some quilts and other items that were for sale.
https://www.galioninquirer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2019/10/web1_thumbnail_IMG_0138.jpgPhoto by Jodi Myers
Visitors to last week’s Galion Golden Age Center craft and rummage sale look over some quilts and other items that were for sale.
Cut in United Way funding a hardship for Galion seniors

By Jodi Myers

Galion Inquirer

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