FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WV News) — Leisha Elliott began her tenure as executive director of Marion County Senior Citizens Inc. two months ago, and in the time since, she has grown excited about providing the older residents of Marion County with much needed support.
Elliott, a Marion County native who previously served as executive director of the county’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, said that she wanted to take over for former Senior Citizens Inc. Executive Director Debbie Stingo to support Marion County in a new way.
“I was looking for a new challenge,” Elliott said. “I plan on working at least another 10 years, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to serve the community. … There are some great services that Marion County Senior Citizens can provide to the seniors of Marion County. Too often, people aren’t too aware of those great services. I want to promote that and promote the strong community we can provide to our most vulnerable people, not only to the seniors themselves but their families. I want them to know that there are services available to their loved ones, and that might take some pressure off the family members.”
The nonprofit has senior centers in Fairmont, Mannington and Fairview, all of which provide daily communal meals for their area’s seniors. In addition, the organization provides a home-delivery service for meals to homebound residents, as well as direct in-home care and transportation for non-emergency medical transportation.
With these services and more, Elliott said that the nonprofit is an important part of the Marion County community, and during her time as executive director, she wants to showcase that as much as possible and make sure everyone who may need the aid of Marion County Senior Citizens knows how to get it.
“I want to continue the great efforts that Debbie Stingo and the staff here have already implemented,” Elliott said. “I just want people to know what services are available to the seniors. We’re hoping to have more activities for the seniors to come to at the centers. COVID really made that impossible, and it’s been hard to get that started back up again. We want activities to keep the seniors here longer. This is kind of their lifeline. They’ve got friends here. They want to come and spend some time as opposed to being home by themselves.”
Elliott said that she’s excited to continue her work with the nonprofit, and she hopes that further outreach initiatives will attract even more seniors to the organization.
“I’m as excited as I was on day one,” Elliott said. “Every day, I see new opportunities to make a difference. The seniors are very willing to share their thoughts on what they think we should be doing. … It’s a good program and a great staff. I look forward to coming into work every day.”
More information on Marion County Senior Citizens Inc. and its services can be found at www.marionseniors.org.
Fairmont News Editor John Mark Shaver can be reached at 304-844-8485 or jshaver@theet.com.