The United Way Effingham Service Center is still under renovation, but in one room that has been completed there are a group of people who come on Monday and Friday.

Friday, there were four seniors spending the day with Pat Worrell and Tamika Simmons. Worrell is the coordinator for Senior Citizen’s, Inc., adult day care. Simmons is assisting.

There are currently six seniors who are enrolled in the program. The center is open from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Clients receive a morning snack, full lunch and an afternoon snack. They also participate in activities throughout the day including word games, bingo and drawing.

Worrell said as the center continues and a calendar is made, she will work to have the clients make suggestions for activities.

Augusta Glover and Rewis Freyermuth come to the center.

Worrell begins the word game and asks for a word that begins with the letter e.

“Elephant,” Rewis Freyermuth said.

“Ms. Augusta, do you know any words that begin with e,” Worrell asks.

“Engine,” Glover said. “Every…Ever.”

“Can you think of anything else,” Worrell asked.

“Not right this minute. I’ll try,” Glover said.

The next letter of the game was d.

“Dog,” Freyermuth said. “Doll.”

“Drop,” Glover said.

Worrell begins to list the words that have been said. “Drop, drank.”

“Drunk,” Freyermuth said.

The next letter is f.

“Food,” Freyermuth said. “Fat…father.”

Worrell then went down the words with the letter f and asked them to use them in a sentence.

“Today is Friday,” Freyermuth said. “My foot is healthy.”

“There are a lot of animals on farms,” Glover said. “Flags are pretty.”

“Everybody’s my friend,” Freyermuth said. “It’s foggy today. Father’s Day is Sunday.”

“(The word game) is good for their memory,” Worrell said.

Glover sat at the table eating her morning snack and talking fondly of her daughter and grandson.

“I like the people,” Glover said about the center. “I like what we do.”

Freyermuth said he likes the center as well.

Lunch is provided for the group. On Friday it was beef stew, broccoli, rice and an orange.

After lunch the group played bingo. When someone wins, they get a prize, and then the group plays another round.

Freyermuth’s wife Sandra said the center gives her some time to herself.

“We’ve been in this house for a year and a half, and it’s the first time I’ve been in it alone,” she said. “I don’t go anywhere really. I stop by Kroger on my way home. It’s just a break. I don’t have to physically take care of him so much — it’s just demands on my time and energy and mind.”

Mrs. Freyermuth heard about the center from a friend when it was being planned and called just before it opened to find out more about it. She said she thought it would be good for her husband.

“From Rewis’ point of view, it’s good because he’s interacting with other people besides just me,” she said. “We still go to church and Sunday school. He gets to interact with them, and he gets some mental stimulation because they get him to do things he wouldn’t do at home.”

She said he would not play games at home.

“They keep him more active,” Mrs. Freyermuth said.

It’s not just to give her a break. “It helps the day go by. It’s a place for him to go because it’s good for him,” she said.

Sandra Griffin, director of marketing for Senior Citizens, Inc., said the center could use volunteers to spend time with the clients. The center is still accepting clients.

Anyone interested in bringing a family member to the facility should call (912) 236-0363 ext. 143 for more information.