Politics & Government

Purpose Regained: Getting a New Start at the Lorton Senior Center

Patch spoke with members and staff on what the fuss is all about.

The Lorton Senior Center is designed to keep its members busy, and that's exactly what they want. 

"But it's not daycare," said Anne Miller, senior center director, in a recent interview with Patch. "We don't supervise people coming and going or how often they take medication. We keep people engaged in life and we focus on independence, self-reliance and fun."  

The center, one of 13 in the County, is sponsored by the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services. It opened in 1990 and moved to multiple locations before settling at its current location at 7722 Gunston Plaza in 1996. Membership costs are $48 annually, and classes are either free or $5. The facility includes: a game room (with pool table, ping pong table, basketball-shooting game and a dart board), an event/exercise room, a presentation room and a computer room with eight computers. 

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The importance of having a full datebook

Fort Belvoir's Kenneth Morris, 77, is a former pro-photographer and frequents the center multiple times a week. He's signed up for "just about every class but computers," he told Patch during a quilting class.  

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In fact, Morris is in the process of making a quilt for his son, U.S. Army Col. Marcus Lorenzo, who is currently serving in Afghanistan. "Whenever he comes home I'll be ready with this quilt," he said. "And it will have his name and rank on it."

Morris was joined by Mary Croushourn, 70, a center member and quilting teacher. Many of the quilts over which she directs production are donated to local charities, including the Northern Virginia Bethany House

"I don't go home and think about my problems as much. I go home and think about this crazy story I heard from one of my friends, or about a class I just took," she said. 

Morris had nothing but admiration for Croushourn's quilting skills. "She can do some things with a quilt that would blow your mind! I know! I've seen it!" 

Croushourn moved to Lorton in 1964, and worked for the Lorton Post office for 35 years. "You should have seen Lorton back then. There was nothing here. It was the country," she said. 

Lorton Senior Center staff

Miller was hired as director in 1998, and was joined a year later by Brigitte Bombadier, the center's assistant director. The pair oversee everything at the center, including its 25 volunteers, part-time staff and 200 members. 

"After 14 years together we still like each other," said Bombadier. "We play to each other's strengths." 

Those strengths include working with an evolving demographic. Many of the center's members are Baby Boomers with restless temperaments, said Miller. 

"The newer retirees are not porch sitters," she said. "And we have a number of people living with other family members. They don't work, don't have their own homes and don't have a peer group. This place is critical in helping them reestablish their friendships and support each other."  

For Miller, the hardest part of the job is the death of members, but that doesn't keep her from getting close. 

"You can't be afraid of loving someone for what you might lose," she said. "People have so much to give and when you're in an environment of sharing with other people it creates a fellowship. If you hold back you're keeping something from them."

The Lorton Senior Center is open Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

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