Intergenerational center a dream worth waiting for
IF IT’S TRUE THAT
anything worthwhile is worth waiting for, then the value of the Plymouth Intergenerational Center when it is finally completed should be truly inestimable.
That’s because, for those who have been working on this project since its inception, 11 long years ago, the wait probably seemed at times interminable.
But their faith and determination were rewarded April 15 when ground was broken for the $4.2-million center, which will house day care, senior center and family services facilities.
The center, to be built at the intersection of Highland Avenue and Douglas Drive, will also be a true community center, offering space for non-profit agencies and community organizations to use in their community-building efforts.
Indeed, community building will be one of the goals of the Plymouth Intergenerational Center — a worthy goal indeed.
Building bridges between age groups will be the main goal of the center. As Marsha Vollbrecht, who had the original dream for the intergenerational center so many years ago, the aim is to replace stereotypes with relationships.
That will help build a stronger community for all of us. It will help make Plymouth an even more attractive place where people of all ages will want to live, work and play.
The intergenerational center will be a one of a kind facility, unlike any other in the state or possibly even the nation. But then, that’s nothing new for the Hub City.
Plymouth pioneered the dedicated senior center back in the early 1960s, establishing one of the first ones in the entire country. That center continues to flourish and serve. It will be one of the main components of the new Plymouth Intergenerational Center, continuing to blaze a pioneering trail.
That same spirit of innovation, dedication and determination that spawned the Plymouth Senior Center will nourish and nurture the Plymouth Intergenerational Center.
That spirit in the community at large came through to provide the necessary funds for the new intergenerational center, coming through in difficult economic times and under a tight deadline to make the center a reality.
More money is still needed — roughly half a million dollars — but the process has begun of turning dream into reality.
It was well worth wait. At issue: Something or other Bottom line: Do something about it
