A Place of Welcoming Eaton Rapids Senior Center

Serving its community for more than 45 years, the Eaton Rapids Senior Center began as a lunch club that met at the old high school. As the group expanded, it rented a room from the city in exchange for cleaning the public restrooms.

It took the center nine years to build up the funds through fundraising, a cookbook and traveling shows to afford its own building. Members have added to the building through upgrades and additions. The building was vacant at the time it was acquired and needed love and attention to make it what it is today.

“We always have coffee or tea on for anybody who wants to come in,” said Rita Honeysett, director of the Eaton Rapids Senior Center. “We love to see anybody who’d like to come in and visit.”

The Eaton Rapids Senior Center is not just a place that hosts events, it’s a community of people who enjoy one another’s company and want to spend time together in a shared space.

“We also come together to support that community,” Honeysett said. “If someone needs help, whether it’s a trip to the doctor or financial help, we sit down with them and help them find the resources they need.”

The center hosts many events, from lunch shows to trivia to bingo, all open to the public. Since COVID-19 began, the center has had less people attending events; however, as life settled back to normal routines, the center is hoping more people will be interested in coming.

“I want people to know that it’s not just sitting around drinking coffee,” Honeysett said. “We have so much more to offer when it comes to activities. We want to get people out of their homes again and into our Wii bowling competitions or trivia night.”

If you have a talent and would like to show if off, the center is looking for people to come in and demonstrate their skills over lunch. The center has featured dancers, musicians, artists and talks from people like a Holocaust survivor. If interested, reach out on Facebook or contact the Eaton Rapids Senior Center.