By Canisha Norris
After the City of Flint took over operations of the former Hasselbring Senior Center at 1002 W. Home Ave. in March, its new director, Gennois Wiggins, has sought to offer programming to bridge generational gaps and provide innovative and creative opportunities for seniors and the community at large.
Along with a name change to honor late Flint City Councilman Eric Mays, the Mays Senior and Community Service Center, or MSCC, now has a mission to provide programs, activities and services to promote health, safety and dignity – enabling seniors to remain independent in the Flint community.
“The programming we’re doing here, we’re trying to be innovative and out of the box. I’m always trying to think of things that this new generation of senior citizens will appreciate… they don’t just sit around and play bingo anymore,” Wiggins said. She added that she is committed to ensuring the center’s programs stay relevant and community-driven as she looks for more engaging options for visitors.
As stands, seniors and community members can come to MSCC to enjoy classics, like a game of spades or bid whist, and recreational activities – “…we have pickleball, various floor games, billiards, dominos, and card tournaments,” Wiggins mentioned – but also line dancing and computer classes, biblical perspectives, chair aerobics, support groups for victims of violence, grief and loss and substance abuse, and themed movies in the theatre room (where western classics were a recent hit, according to Wiggins).
MSCC also offers special events throughout the year: a grandfather-granddaughter dance, karaoke, jewelry making, and the Ms. Senior Flint “Age of Splendor” Pageant are just a few of the activities that have taken place since March.
Wiggins told East Village Magazine that community members are also encouraged to come in and enjoy fresh coffee at the center’s coffee bar, and soon the center will be starting its weekly breakfast club.
“We stopped for the summer but will be getting it started back up here,” Wiggins explained. “The seniors come for breakfast once a week and we will bring in VIPs, the seniors don’t know who it is… just come and sit and talk and have a good time.”
Wiggins added that she’s also trying to incorporate “intergenerational” elements to the center’s programming, saying that such programming connects seniors and youth in fun and creative ways and remains one of her top priorities.
She said she’s collaborating with youth agencies like the Flint Police Activities League (formerly the Flint Police Athletic League) as a way to bring more young people to the center. “What we’re doing right now is teaching our young people how to play face-to-face games such as checkers and dominos,” Wiggins said. “We want to talk with our youth about life and be able to give them those jewels that help them to interact and socialize better.”
The director also noted the center is bringing in Sam Stewart, a retired Flint firefighter and director of the Flint Coalition for Youth Baseball and Softball League, to hopefully bring young people in on the weekends, too.
Aside from fun and games, the Mays Senior and Community Center also offers healthy living programs. MSCC partners with Hamilton Community Health Network who sets up space and provides services at the center once a month, and partnerships with Oak Street Health and Oakland University Nursing students for blood pressure checks and stroke prevention keep seniors informed and involved with their health.
Wiggins said the center is also in the process of developing a “Reflections Room,” a quiet space for people to go if they just need a quiet space to decompress. “We’re already in talks with an agency, and we’ll have a therapist come in once a month. It will be incognito: no one has to know you’re there to see a therapist.”
She said the Reflections Room was the result of veterans at the center. “Sometimes in the middle of engaging in different programs they will let me know,” she explained. “They’ll come to me and say, ‘Hey Ms. Wiggins, I don’t want to leave, but I just need some space.’” Wiggins said the Reflections Room may end up being simply “a nice room with a lamp, a chair, maybe a fireplace.”
As for future programming, Wiggins highlighted the center’s upcoming holiday dinner for Christmas, a fashion show, and a new class: “How to use your iPhone.”
“Now that’s a class I’m going to sign up for myself!” Wiggins said with a laugh.
