GRAVETTE - A redletter day occurred last Thursday, May 23, at the Billy V. Hall Senior Activity Center in Gravette. A new word was added to its name: Officially the center, which serves senior citizens throughout the area, is now the Billy V. Hall Senior Activity & Wellness Center.

The center opened in Sulphur Springs in 1976 and moved to its Gravette home in 1993, on land donated by Dr. Billy V. Hall, Gravette’s legendary doctor, hence its name.

The center earned its expanded name after many months of work and planning, said Mary Kay Kelley, who has been serving as its director since its inception in that position in Sulphur Springs and whose efforts resulted in the new brick structure at 1870 Limekiln Road in Gravette.

Beverly Dunlap, program director for the Division of Aging and Adult Services, Little Rock, presented the framed certificate designating the center’s new status.

Also present was Nancy Johnson, director of senior services for the Office of Human Concern, Inc., in Rogers. That agency partners with the Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Arkansas and the United Way of Northwest Arkansas in operating this and six other centers.

Gravette is one of only 11 of the 189 centers in Arkansas to receive the certification, Dunlap said. Gravette was notified of the honor several weeks ago, and the sign at the center announces its new designation.

To earn certification required development of seven dimensions of wellness as ongoing services and programs, Briefly, they are:

◊ Intellectual Wellness. Engage in creative and stimulating mental activities which encourage creative mental activity, knowledge of self and the world, and avoidance of idle thoughts and boredom.

◊Environmental Wellness. Promote awareness of the effect of daily habits pertaining to a healthy and safe home environment, as well as impact on the town, state and a broader area.

◊Social Wellness. Encourage being an active member in the community through relationships with each other as well as fulfilling a rich family life and development of positive relationships.

◊Spiritual Wellness. Enhance the connection between body, mind and spirit through a sense of purpose and meaning to life, by experiencing love and joy and by strengthening the ethics, values and code of living of an individual which may or may not be a part of the person’s formal religion.

◊Emotional Wellness.Develop self-expression through self-care, relation, stress reduction and developing inner resources, including positive thinking, recognizing own abilities and limitations while maintaining satisfying relationships with others.

◊Vocational Wellness. Promote contributing to the individual’s unique gifts, skills and talents through work and hobbies, valuing personal gratification by contributing to the well-being of others and the community, whether paid or through volunteering.

◊Physical Wellness. Live responsibly and take care of your own body through personal fitness programs, positive nutritional habits, responsible use of prescription drugs, moderation with alcohol and not using tobacco products.

Kelley said the ongoing programs, with emphasis on these seven points, are now part of the center’s focus. She reminds the facility and its activities are available, particularly for persons age 60 and over and their spouses. It is open every week day, except for some holidays, and lunch is served for a nominal cost at 11:30 each day. The center also operates the Meals on Wheels program throughout the area and provides a van for transportation on a prearranged schedule.

The activities at the center are provided by persons who volunteer their time and efforts to make the recreation and events available.

Kelley invites seniors and anyone interested to visit the center and observe its many services. A call to Mary Kay, 787-5950, is also welcome for information.

News, Pages 5 on 05/29/2013