New senior center director takes over

By Staff | Oct 1, 2014

MEL TOADVINE Denise Talt has left the Fountaincrest complex. Teresa Cancel will take over her job.

There’s a new smiling face today at the Lehigh Acres Senior Citizens Center on Plaza Drive. It is the face of Melissa Barry, the new director who replaces Teresa Cancel, who has been with the senior center for 6 1/2 years.

Cancel is going to Fountaincrest retirement complex to become its outreach director, replacing Denise Talt who is leaving to take care of a sick relative.

Barry said she and her husband, came from Idaho to Lehigh Acres where her husband has a teaching job.

Barry has spent the last few weeks at the center working with Teresa Cancel.

“She’s been showing me the ins and outs of the work here and I am so delighted to be here. The people are very friendly and I think this is going to be a great and fun place to work,” she said.

JOANIE FERSTER Melissa Barry is the new director of the Lehigh Acres Senior Citizens Center. She replaces Teresa Cancel who is going to Fountaincrest to become outreach director. Barry is shown on the right, and Cancel is on the left.

The announcement of the new director was made by Ed Bishop, who is chairman of the board that oversees the senior center.

“We talked to a lot of people. We think this young lady has the personality and the knowledge to lead our center and continuing to do the good work that has been done by Theresa Cancel,” Bishop said.

Cancel goes to work today, Oct. 1, at the Fountaincrest complex on Taylor Lane Extended. She said the people there are very friendly and have welcomed her and she wants to become a good player at the complex.

Fountaincrest is a retirement community where residents can choose to eat all their meals in the first floor large dining room. Fountaincrest also plans many programs, fashion shows and different types of musical entertainment programs throughout the year, which are open not only to the residents of Fountaincrest, but to the community at no charge.

That will be part of Cancel’s new job and she said she is looking forward to the new challenge.

While Cancel was at the senior Center, the membership has increased each year to where today there are some 1700 members. Not all are active and Cancel as will the new director work to get the members back to the center for all types of programs and fun events. The membership always soars during Season which soon to start.

“We were doing well with increased membership, all except for this year. We are down a little bit from past years. I go to the supermarket and look around and I say to myself, ‘I haven’t seen that person as a member of our center’ and think of ways to get them to join,” Cancel said.

The senior center has a slew of activities from playing pool, mostly by the men, to needle work instruction, to computer technology to several other areas of interest.

“It’s been a great place for senior citizens to come to and the dues of $20 a year are very reasonable and for an additional $10, members can use the Lehigh Community Pool anytime they want to,” she said. “That is really a great added attraction to membership here.”

But Cancel won’t be leaving the senior center entirely.

She is a member, along with her husband, Henry, and besides, she teaches Zumba, a really great exercise for seniors, she said.

Also, her husband is going to be in a special play stage production “Grease” in March.

“I’m looking forward to that,” she said with a smile.

Cancel said she hopes she has helped to make the senior center a friendly place to come to.

“The people here are like family. They are always doing things and the smiles on their faces show how happy they are here. I would invite all the seniors in Lehigh to spend some time here and I think they would love what goes on here.”

Cancel began the entertainment skits idea for the senior center.

“It was Penny Phillips who passed away around three years ago who I got her to start planning skits for lots of the things we do around here.”

New Director Melissa Barry says she plans to continue the good works started by her predecessor and appreciates the opportunity the board has given her.

“I am sure we will continue to grow and we’ll add new activities,” Barry said.

“It’s a great place for those who are 50 and over to come and join. There are so many wonderful things to do here. It is better than sitting home and being inactive.

“There’s something for everyone and we want to get all the seniors we can to learn about this place,” Barry said,.

The Lehigh Acres Senior Center is supported by Lee County. Lehigh Regional Medical Center also helps to support the center with the salaries of the director and the maintenance person who keeps the place in top condition.

Many years ago before the Veterans Park Recreational Center was built, the then county commissioners wanted the center to move from its 219 Plaza address into the proposed new Veterans Park Veterans Center.

The board at the time, with still some members still serving, fought the county along with the people of Lehigh to allow the senior center to remain in its present building, where there is plenty of room for all types of activities.

A move to the not-yet-built recreational center at the time seemed like a disaster to the members and the board of the senior center and they won the battle against the county and are still in the big white building on Plaza Drive.

“It was a good decision that we remained here,” Ed Bishop, who heads the board of directors, said. “The county still supports and helps us, and we appreciate that,” he said.

The Lehigh Acres senior center is believed to be the largest with the most membership of any of the senior centers in the county.

Members there believe, they say, that it is one of the best gems in Lehigh for senior citizens. It has a big kitchen, large auditorium, an outside auditorium for good weather, and several classrooms where different teaching events are held.

And there is Bingo, which is a good money fundraiser for the center. The proceeds from Bingo go to help support the center. And there are dances for seniors to come and enjoy themselves. And much more.

: JOANIE FERSTER Melissa Barry is the new director of the Lehigh Acres Senior Citizens Center. She replaces Teresa Cancel who is going to Fountaincrest to become outreach director. Barry is shown on the right, and Cancel is on the left.