New members were selected for the Callaway County Senior Center Council, and Judy Baumgartner, who has served as the county's representative for the Missouri Silver Haired Legislature (SHL) for four years, was re-elected to fulfill the legislature's needs for the next two years.
The new members of the Senior Center Council include: Marcella Conn, Ken Dillon, Kitty Zeugin and Carmolee Cornick.
The Senior Center Council is responsible for maintaining funding for the senior center and fulfilling different needs by fundraising and sponsoring different events at the senior center, Baumgartner said. The SHL, which is represented by seniors across the state, advocates changes to the state legislature to improve the quality of life for the state's senior citizens.
Baumgartner's current concerns revolve around the home delivery meal program with the senior center.
"The cost of food keeps going up, but senior centers keep getting cuts from the government," Baumgartner said.
The Central Missouri Area Agency on Aging (CMAAA) provides some funding for both the Senior Center Council and the SHL, Baumgartner said, but other funds are made through fundraising efforts and go to benefit seniors. Fifteen volunteers from Missouri's 10 Area Agencies on Aging provide 150 senior advocates for the SHL, which supports statewide senior centers, according to a press release.
When the SHL has its June meeting a number of potential bills, most of which have a senior citizen focus, will be proposed and later presented during the state's legislative session.
For more information about the SHL contact the CMAAA at (800) 369-5211 or Judy Baumgartner at (573) 295-6208.