WEST CHESTER TWP. — An organization marking its 10th anniversary seeks to help senior citizens and enable them to stay involved in booming West Chester and Liberty townships.

West Chester Area Coalition on Aging meets at the Butler County Administration Building. (ERnest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

        Ann Pretzer has led the all-volunteer West Chester Area Coalition on Aging since 1997, and she sees a profound need for the organization's services.

        “We strive to provide help on both a social and emotional level to area senior citizens,” she says. “So many people retire and go on to lead lonely lives. We have many local seniors who are new to the area, having moved to be closer to their children, whose jobs had brought them here. They don't know where to go to get the information they need. We want seniors to be active and involved members of our community.”

        A transplant herself 44 years ago from her native Michigan, Ms. Pretzer lives in Beckett Ridge. She chairs monthly meetings of the coalition, held at the Butler County Administration Building the third Thursday of each month.

        Professionals working in related fields — retirement communities, medical and pharmaceutical industries — also attend. Coalition sponsors are Senior Citizens Inc. and the West Chester Township Government Administration.

        Guest speakers have ranged from a local police officer, who provided tips on protecting the home, to Sadie Cooper, West Chester's oldest known resident at 108, who discussed insights from her long life.

        Services range from helping a new arrival find a driving range to helping another woman find a wheelchair rental service because she frequently has a guest who requires one. It provides a senior van service, taking residents to doctor appointments and the grocery store.

        “We work with local home-delivered meal providers, donating Christmas gifts for recipients of the service,” she adds. “And thanks to the generosity of the Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty, to commemorate May as Older Americans Month we provided pill containers to those same people.”

        Steve Schnabl, executive director of Senior Citizens Inc. of Butler County, says West Chester and Liberty townships are home to 10,000 senior citizens.

       For more information on the West Chester Coalition on Aging, call 860-3404.

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