The Honoraville Senior Center is in dire need of funds if the new facility is ever going to be built for the community.

The senior center has been waiting for a signed letter of confirmation of the FEMA grant before they can begin construction.

“Once we get the grant, we’ll completely tear down the center and rebuild a new one,” Ken McGough, a member of the Honoraville Senior Citizens Council, said. “We still have to come up with the $25,000 match, and so far, we have $5,149.04. People have been working hard to try to raise the money, but we still have a long way to go.”

“This center is an important part of many of our senior citizens’ lives,” he said. “The ladies quilt there every day, and the men play dominoes—once a month, they have gospel singings, not to mention the fact that lunch is served there every day for the seniors.”

When the time comes for the new center to be built, Union Baptist has agreed to allow the seniors to use their fellowship hall during the construction period.

“We have a lot of big plans for Honoraville and for that particular area,” McGough said. “Once the new senior center has been completed, we hope to be able to get a new volunteer fire department building, and we’d like to have a walking park around the new senior center, too, for anyone to use.”

In order to help raise the needed funds for the $25,000 match, several fundraisers have been taking place, while others are being planned. Back in December, Ruby Mae Stringer, 98, and several of the other ladies who quilt at the center daily, held a drawing for a quilt that was made by them at the center. Ronnie Best was the lucky winner of the quilt. This particular fundraiser brought in $820.

The Honoraville Volunteer Fire Department has also held Boston butt sales, along with other members in the community holding bake sales in order to raise funds.

Presently, the Council has another treasure that is for sale, with the funds going toward the senior center.

“We have Honoraville School yearbooks for 1959 -1960, as well as yearbooks for the 1952-1953 school year,” McGough said. “And, we have a CD that is available for sale of the 1989 Honoraville School Reunion that has several interviews with former teachers, who have all passed away now.”

The two yearbooks plus the reunion CD (or VHS tape) can be purchased all together for $50, or they can be purchased separately for $20.

For more information about purchasing the Honoraville School yearbooks, reunion CD, or to help with fundraising for the senior center, please contact Ken McGough at 537-4078; Robert McGough at 382-3446; W.L. Massey at 382-8057; or Charles Gillian at 382-3650.

All contributions made to the new Honoraville Senior Center are tax deductible. Any checks and/or donations should be made out to the Honoraville Senior Center Council, Inc.