The Western Reserve Area Agency on Agency selected a Parma facility as the recipient of its 2016 Independent Living Award.
The award is given to an organization that demonstrates outstanding business practices, and this year, the recipient was the Donna Smallwood Activities Center and Parma Office on Aging.
The award was given to recognize the partnership that has formed between the Ridgewood YMCA, now closed, and the Smallwood Center. The two organizations teamed up when the YMCA closed, leaving seniors underserved. Together, they brought programs from the YMCA to the Smallwood Center.
In addition to the programs for seniors, Smallwood added a wellness center equipped with stationary bicycles, treadmills, and various types of weight apparatuses. The popular Silver Sneakers class was added as well, and YMCA teachers and other members of the staff moved to Smallwood.
Over 200 people have joined the center in the last six months, and the membership of the YMCA has increased as well, since center members who want to use the new facilities must also join the Y, though at a special price.
Tim DeGeeter, Parma's mayor, noted that the city motto is ‘Progress through Partnerships’, which makes the YMCA/Smallwood venture an ideal example of the principle.
Center officials could work with a flyer printing company to create a mailer for residents, describing the programs now available at the center.
