Metropolitan Senior Citizens' Centre now the Metro Community Hub

to refer older clients to and at its peak we had over 4000 clients receiving support from volunteers and a paid staff member who took on the role of Welfare Officer. Other organisations joined us such as a group who wanted to provide information to older people which today is known as COTA or Council of the Ageing. Since them many organisations have come along and adopted our model and are still emulating us today. One of the activities that was started in this venue is still running every Thursday which is our in Centre day and this is still run by a dedicated group of volunteers. Our volunteers are vital to everything we do and on average our 26 volunteers provide over 500 hours of support every month. We are very proud of our volunteers, they enrich every program they support. During that time many other things have changed such as the way we are funded and who we can assist. We have changed with the times but we still offer a variety of low cost activities, which can be accessed by people over the age of 50. Our focus is on overcoming social isolation and promoting wellness. We do this by offering high quality activities with caring volunteers and staff. We have remained and now specialise in the social and recreational needs of older people. We continue to look towards the future and the changing needs are of the area we serve and are planning our vision for the future. The demographics of the area are rapidly changing and we are working with the community and other local organisations to look at the current needs and are also working with key personnel from BCC to identify needs and look at how we can work with key stakeholders to position ourselves with a strong future, whilst acknowledging and treasuring our past and how we have assisted this community for over 50 years. We are strongly supported by volunteers, several of whom have been with us for a long time and one who was there near the beginning. At the moment we have four staff members who have extensive experience in their area of expertise. We now sponsor the Valley Day Club along with the Department of Veteran Affairs to provide a social club for veterans and other people at risk of isolation. We have strong ties with the Cathay Community Northern Respite Day who operate from this venue, as well as provide a venue for our much loved Spanish group. We do have opportunities for other small groups to meet here for a few hours at a nominal cost. For more information contact the Coordinator on 3252 2731. We are also happy to post or email you are monthly newsletter and calendar or you can access them on our website www.metroseniors.org.au Come along and be part of a history making organisation.