Friendship Park Community Center is true to its name, say those who regularly gather at the Point Place senior center.

“I went to other ones before I came out here and this one is the friendliest,” said 77-year-old Donald Doty of West Toledo, who eats lunch at the center almost every day. “If we see someone new walk in the door, we say hello to them and give them a newsletter.”

Diane Duling, 72, also of West Toledo, agreed.

“We don’t have cliques here,” she said. “There’s some who hang around with each other, but they talk to everybody.”

Marguerite Jewson, 97, of Point Place drives to the center three or four times a week and loves to play Scrabble.

“I like the people. That’s why I come,” said Jewson, who founded the local chapter of AARP, a national organization for people age 50 and older. “You get to know them and it’s nice to be with them.”

Diane Duling, left, and Linda Quinn play Scrabble at the Friendship Park Community Center in Point Place.

A hot lunch provided by the Area Office on Aging is available to anyone at 11:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday for a suggested donation of $2.50 (60 and older) or $5 (59 and younger). Reservations are required by noon the day before by calling (419) 936-3079.

“It’s like social hour,” said Director Chelsey Labadie. “It gets them out of the house. It’s welcome to anyone.”

Nutrition Manager Lise Tank, who orders and serves the meals, said she thinks people enjoy eating at Friendship Park for the convenience as well as the socialization.

“If you’re an older person, you don’t have to worry about lunch at home; you can come in here and eat and then just get up and leave,” Tank said. “You don’t have any dishes to wash. It’s like a restaurant really, but we only charge $2.50 per person.”

Lunch typically draws 12-15 people, but there’s always at least 25 on Wednesdays because bingo is played afterward, Labadi said.

Lula Bracht, 76, of Point Place said she doesn’t miss lunch on bingo days — or whenever macaroni and cheese is served.

“That’s my favorite,” Bracht said.

Duling enjoys playing games, including Scrabble, Boggle and mah-jongg.

“It’s a nice place to come to for enjoyment of games and fellowship,” Duling said. “My husband doesn’t play games so I need this. I wouldn’t get to play Scrabble if I didn’t come out here.”

Joyce Carter, 71, started coming to the center about six years ago and started working there two years ago.

“They miss me when I’m gone because it’s so quiet,” Carter said, laughing.

Euchre and pinochle tournaments, dance classes, tai chi, yoga, quilting, puzzles, Sudoku, a lending library of books, computer classes and more are also offered. A nurse does health screenings twice a month.

Friendship Park Community Center, 2930 131st St., is a nonprofit operating under the jurisdiction of the City of Toledo’s Division of Recreation.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon Friday and closed Saturday and Sunday except for scheduled events.

For more information, visit www.friendshippark.info.

Tags: AARP, Bingo, Chelsey Labadie, Friendship Park Community Center, mah-jongg, Point Place, Scrabble, Seniors

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 9th, 2013 at 1:34 pm and is filed under Uncategorized.
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Nonprofit groups in Ohio that benefit from operating bingo games are seeing declining revenues.

Figures submitted to the Ohio Attorney General’s office show that bingo parlors statewide made about $142.2 million in 2009 from traditional bingo and instant games — down 28 percent from $196.7 million in 2006, the Media Network of Central Ohio reported.

Many nonprofits that operate bingo parlors, including Veterans of Foreign Wars posts, point to the economy as one reason for the slump in revenue.

“Right now nobody is generating a lot of income for anything,” said Bob Funk, quartermaster for Ohio’s Veterans of Foreign Wars. “People don’t have a lot of money to spend.”

The nonprofit groups look to competition from skill-based games and casinos as another reason behind the declining revenue.

Casinos already exist in nearby states and voter-approved casinos planned in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo.

People are not going to “come in and play tickets” if there are casinos in every corner of the state, said Don Lanthorn, department service director for the Ohio American Legion.

“There are only so many gambling dollars out there,” he said. “We’re very concerned.”

Skill games expanded rapidly across Ohio in 2006, and Gov. Ted Strickland signed a law in 2007 banning cash payouts on skill games and limiting prizes to merchandise worth $10 or less, the news network reported.

Michele Wilson, manager of Sunrise Bingo in Zanesville, which raises money for Holy Trinity Mission Church, said that in 2009 the bingo parlor took in half of what it did in 2005.

Several nonprofits are pushing for legislation that would allow electronic bingo machines in licensed halls.

Currently there are three types of bingo licenses available in Ohio — two for traditional bingo and one for pull-tabs — but some groups are hoping to add a fourth for electronic bingo machines, the news network reported.

“Video games make more money than ripoff tickets,” Funk said. “In order to compete with the casinos, posts will need to have some video gaming.”

No legislation allowing electronic bingo machines has been proposed, but advocates have met with legislative leaders, Funk said.

State Sen. Tim Grendell, R-Chesterland, confirmed that lawmakers are looking at the issue, the news network reported.

“We’ve been looking at ways to allow charities and fraternal organizations to retain their fundraising capacity against the casinos, state Sen. Tim Grendell, R-Chesterland, said.

Grendell, who didn’t expect the issue to be brought up until at least 2011, said he didn’t have any objection to video bingo.

“It’s similar to what the tracks will be doing,” he said.

Lanthorn said that it’s not about expanding gambling.

“It’s about the survival of these charities,” he said.

Tags: Bingo, casinos, Charity, Ohio

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 12th, 2010 at 10:25 pm and is filed under Community, Economy.
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