Danforth Livable Community Center continuing to grow

DANFORTH, Maine (WAGM) - A community center in Danforth, is continuing to grow.. News Source 8′s Isaac Potter caught up with Danforth Livable Communities Center and has the story.

The Danforth Livable Communities Center is a community center that focuses on Senior citizens. The Center opened in 2018, when the town of Danforth became an age-friendly community. Back in 2020,the former Danforth United Methodist Church Building was donated to the town.

Ardis Brown, Town Manager for the town of Danforth, says “This church became an opportunity in 2020, they were no longer having services here. And one of our members pointed out that we really should have the building for the community center, it would make a great senior center. So the town accepted it, and it has been fast paced ever since. We have been grant writing like crazy, we have done remodel, we opened last fall, we have a full slate of programs and things happening here now.”

Back when we did an interview with Brown in October of 2021, she said they were writing several grants and were in need of around sixty-five thousand dollars for the center to become operational.. Brown says they have been blessed with donations and grants since.

Ardis Brown: “We have been blessed with grants, we worked really hard to get some grants. We are probably 100+ thousand now in the grant category. One of the most beneficial has been the Americorp program. So we have partnered with the University Maine on Aging, and Americorp and Maine Community foundation has helped us with that as well with funding. But we have been able to have two Americorps here volunteering and without them we wouldn’t have built this program.”

Tara Mozdziez is a lifelong Maine Americorp member at Danforth Liv able Communities Center, and says they have spent a lot of time fundraising for renovations and programming for the center.

Tara Mozdziez: “We needed funds obviously for renovations and programming, and the fundraising we have done everything from a murder mystery dinner to a Valentine’s day dinner coming up, food is very popular. But we have also, we have done a plant sale that will repeat this year, that was great. We have partnered with the Danforth Liveable Community committee to raise these funds and we have done even matching drives and raffles, and the community is super supportive.”

The Community Center has been offering programs to bring the community together including The Breaking Bread with others, a Coffee Time program, and more. Mozdziez says they are looking to provide more programs in the future for the community.

Tara Mozdziez: “We are starting to hit on this February coming up is American Heart Healthy month, we are looking to possibly bring in a local instructor to do some CPR courses. The food programming is something that we are budgeting very well, so we continue to support those in need in the area. We also have a closed closet program that is really starting to take off. So to continue those programs, I like to get like an arts programs in here too. We have talked about that. The possibilities are endless.”

Brown and Mozdziez say that what makes the center is seeing the people come together. Isaac Potter News Source 8.

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