by Alexa M. Ten Eyck

Receive. Participate. Give. Repeat.

A strong community takes advantage of this cycle. In action, it looks like support across people and organizations creating opportunities to participate. Participation puts that support into motion, while giving carries its value back into the community. Active aging requires a determination to remain fluid within that cycle. The key is not simply receiving community support but, instead, helping move it forward to another person or generation.

This summer, that cycle became visible at the Stockbridge Area Senior Center. First, a partnership with Redbear Bikes raised $500 to help provide bicycles for two local students. Within just a few days, members and volunteers rallied around the effort to turn an opportunity to receive and participate into immediate give-back action.

Then the cycle repeated through the SASC Rummage Sale where at least 96 volunteer hours turned donated items into affordable finds for neighbors in an effort to support the center. The effort reached beyond ordinary fundraising. In a generous donation, Granger provided two dumpsters toward the event. Both were filled by volunteers, resulting in the SASC rummage sale establishing itself as part of a community cleanup effort. The work involved put usable items back into circulation while also clearing away items deemed no longer useful to the community.

Receive, participate, give repeats once more with the community-wide Highest Praise Worship Center Backpack Giveaway. Through a team-driven collaborative effort, the SASC staff and members contributed $210 toward school supplies. In typical SASC fashion, a generous amount of volunteered time turned those donated dollars into a table full of supplies pictured with this column.

This incredible combination of donated funds and volunteer hours represents active aging as it keeps a lifetime of care and experience in circulation. Thus, every contribution received by SASC creates opportunities to give back to the community in a meaningful way.

While summer closes, the cycle continues endlessly. As SASC receives community support, members continue to transform it into participation that gives value back to Stockbridge. There is always an opportunity for more people to take advantage of this cycle, for more people to contribute to the strength of the community. SASC welcomes all to join in, participate, and help keep it moving.

Receive. Participate. Give. Repeat.

Alexa M. Ten Eyck is president of the board of the Stockbridge Area Senior Center (SASC)—a great place to spend time. Experience firsthand a sense of connection and well-being at the SASC. For information, visit stockbridgeareaseniors.org, call 517- 480-0353, or stop in at 219 W. Elm St.