55-plus Games leaves lasting benefits for seniors, city
By GILLIAN SLADE on August 13, 2019.
gslade@medicinehatnews.com
The Senior Citizen Advisory Council told the public services committee there are numerous residual benefits for seniors as a result of hosting the Alberta 55-plus Summer games.
LaVerne Noble, chair of SCAC, said the floor shuffleboard event posed some organizational challenges initially as there was no existing group for the sport. There was no obvious venue and no local equipment for the event either.
Organizers were able to get approval to use the curling rink as the venue. The equipment was finally rented from someone in California. Noble said in the end the equipment was delivered only the day before the event but it arrived.
It all went ahead smoothly and there is now a distinct possibility there may be a permanent local group that will participate in this sport on an ongoing basis, said Noble.
The kitchen at the Veiner Centre also rose to the occasion. It prepared and served 490 meals in two days over and above what is normally provided to seniors at the centre.
Noble paid tribute to Gordon Nott, former chair of SCAC, who took on the task of co-ordinating 400 volunteers for the whole event, Jim Black who handled the slo-pitch tournament and Jim Hillson who oversaw the floor curling.
Noble said Medicine Hat has a core group of people that really know how to get things done.
Hosting the event raised $250,000 and some of that was spent on improvements that will continue to benefit the local community, said Noble.
Coun. Jim Turner congratulated Noble on a job well done.
The SCAC is on a summer break but Noble said it tries hard to be a liaison between the seniors of Medicine Hat, the city and council.
Noble says recently the council has been looking at the statistics of elder abuse and how best to meet that need.
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