Darb Snyder Senior Center seeks to fill director’s position
Current and retiring Holmes County Darb Snyder Senior Center Director Georgie Cool, left, and center business manager Penny Hamilton have spent recent days in the kitchen. The hope is to hire a new director and a new head cook that will help the organization restructure its director’s role.
The Holmes County Darb Snyder Senior Center is hoping to find the perfect fit when it comes to finding a replacement for Georgie Cool, outgoing director of operations who will retire soon.
Cool has been director of the senior center since 2008, when she took on the role on an interim basis. Since then she has served the organization faithfully but is ready to move on to a new phase in life, opening up the position.
Finding someone to fill that role is now foremost in the board’s efforts.
Cool said getting to build relationships with the seniors around Holmes County is fulfilling, and knowing she has been a part of providing care, hot meals and a place for seniors to fellowship ranks among the joys that come with the job.
“It’s been a very satisfying job because I know I’ve been able to work with and help our seniors,” Cool said. “We serve a very important role in our county, and this job really boils down to someone filling the position who enjoys working with others and serving their community. Once you get in here, you’ll see that everyone comes together and works as one. We really are like a family here.”
Cool said the job requires a little bit of everything concerning the senior center, whether it is directing programs, connecting with vendors, duties in the kitchen or greeting seniors who enter. One duty that is not included is the delivery of the hot meals program. The senior center does have dedicated drivers who deliver meals each weekday.
Cool did say they are currently attempting to reconfigure the duties of the director, noting they are trying to replace both her director’s job and hire someone to fill the duties of Penny Hamilton, business manager, whose role has evolved over the years. In addition to the director’s role, they are seeking a head cook who would create menus for the Meals on Wheels program and do the cooking.
Hamilton said the hope is they can slowly work the director’s duties into taking over the computer work involved at the center, along with creating the bimonthly newsletter.
“I’ve taken on so many different jobs over the years here,” Hamilton said. “I helped computerize the place. We need to get back to where the director takes care of the financial part of it, the cook makes the menu, and we all take on the roles we were supposed to be doing rather than having Georgie and myself filling all of these different roles. It will take a little time, but we’ll get there.”
Cool said the position can be overwhelming at first, but once someone settles into the routine, it isn’t too demanding.
“Once you learn it, you fall into it, and it becomes much easier and more routine,” Cool said.
Hamilton said the board and the directors have invested a great deal of time and effort into creating a senior center that has been an advantage for all of the county’s seniors, so they believe it is important to find someone who meshes well with the system in place.
The director’s title comes with vacation, holiday pay and snow days, so when county schools close, the director gets paid for the first five snow days.
Cool said another benefit from the job is while it requires someone to come in early in the morning, the duties of the director are basically done by 1:30 p.m., freeing up whoever the role goes to so they can utilize their afternoons and evenings any way they wish. The senior center also is only open on weekdays, freeing up every weekend.
“It’s really nice being done that early because you can pick up kids from school, go to sporting events or have the afternoon and evening to do whatever you’d like,” Cool said. “But mostly it’s gratifying knowing that you’re helping our seniors live a better life.”
One thing Cool wanted to reiterate to people concerning the senior center is while it serves as the Holmes County Center for Aging, it is connected to and supported by the Holmes County government.
“We don’t have the umbrella and benefits of county entities,” Cool said.
While Cool will retire, she will continue to be involved with the organization by continuing to perform her duties with Holmes County Share-A-Christmas, with whom the senior center has partnered with every Christmas season for decades to help provide for area seniors.
“Share-A-Christmas has been a wonderful partner with the senior center over the years, and we’ve worked closely together in many ways, and having done so much work with them over the years, I will continue in that role,” Cool said. “I’m taking Share-A-Christmas with me.”
Anyone wishing to apply for either the director’s position or the head cook role can stop by the senior center at 170 Parkview Drive in Millersburg and fill out an application. Cool said they can fill out the application at the center so she or Hamilton can answer any questions the applicant may have concerning the job.
They also can set up an interview time then as well. Cool said applicants should stop by the center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. any weekday. For inquiry applicants can call 330-674-0580. Cool said anyone wishing to make a donation to the center may stop by or send a check via mail to 170 Parkview Drive, Millersburg, OH 44654.