2 minute read
MPPs visit Half Century Centre
The Leamington Half Century Centre had a few special visitors on Tuesday, June 20 as MPP Daisy Wai of Richmond Hill joined Chatham-Kent Leamington MPP Trevor Jones and Essex MP Anthony Leardi on a tour of the centre.
MPP Wai, who is the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility, is touring senior centres across Ontario along with local MPPs and speaking to the seniors in those centres.
Half Century Centre Executive Director Christine Lehn and President Gaetan Levesque met with the ministers and talked about different issues facing senior centres and how the Leamington club has persevered through the pandemic and came out in a position of strength.
“We had 74 new members join last year,” said Lehn.
Lehn and Levesque discussed grants and funding that will help the centre maintain its current level of service and let the MPPs know that the $45 annual membership fees at the centre was affordable for members and how they wanted to keep those fees low moving forward.
The entourage visited with the Tuesday morning cribbage players and MPP Leardi even helped peel potatoes in the kitchen as they prepared Tuesday’s lunch choice— liver and onions.
After all the visiting and conversations were finished, MPP Wai went away with an appreciation of the local club and how close-knit everyone is.
She was particularly impressed with how many of the members had personal connections to MPP Jones, who grew up in Leamington and knew many of the cribbage players.
MPP Daisy Wai and MPP Trevor Jones talk with cribbage players, clockwise, Gail Turk, Cheryle Dunford, Ernie Purr and Carolyn Coad.
Essex MPP Anthony Leardi peels potatoes in the kitchen of the Leamington Half Century Centre with club member Katie Klym. SUN photos
From left, Half Century Centre Executive Director Christine Lehn, MPP Daisy Wai, MPP Trevor Jones, MPP Anthony Leardi and Half Century Centre President Gaetan Levesque.
