Forty years ago, the Elizabethtown Area Senior Center opened its doors to the community, and now the organization is inviting you to a party to celebrate the milestone.

The festivities will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22, at the center, located at GEARS, 70 S. Poplar St., Elizabethtown.

The celebration will feature special speakers and a catered meal of ham, roasted potatoes, green beans, baked macaroni and cheese and dessert, which will be served at noon.

"We have a little extra money in our budget this year, and we thought a 40th anniversary celebration would be fun way to spend some of it," shared Jess Raush, senior center director. "We wanted to have a celebration to remember all that we've come from, all that we've done and where we're going."

When she mentioned the idea to the seniors who regularly attend the center, they embraced it wholeheartedly.

"Our seniors love any reason to party," Raush said with a laugh.

She noted that the center has invited influential individuals from its history to come to the celebration. Former directors have been invited to attend, and Raush has also invited family members of senior center attendees, both current and past.

"We are looking forward to reminiscing," she said. "We want people to share stories of what the senior center meant to their loved ones."

Opened in 1985, the senior center formed in a building that housed a community center. Working with the Lancaster Office of Aging, the center brought members of a Mount Joy senior center to the new location. The center is now housed in a building that still features a community center, along with a preschool.

Raush plans to involve even the littlest people who attend GEARS in the senior center's celebration.

"We are asking our GEARS preschoolers, 'What do you think 40 years from now will look like?' We want to know their ideas for inventions, their predictions," she said.

Their responses, along with input from seniors, will be collected for a time capsule the center plans to seal and put away to open many years in the future.

There's always something fun happening at the senior center, Raush said, noting that people come from the Elizabethtown, Mount Joy, Conoy, Bainbridge, Manheim and Marietta areas, as well as from Dauphin County.

Seniors sign in when they attend a program, and the center averages 40 to 60 visitors a day depending on the activity. Members enjoy weekly events such as trivia, crafts, sing-alongs and card games, as well as special themed activities such as Cruise Week or Water Week.

"All of our programs are free to attend," Raush said, noting that donations will be accepted if people want to give. "Donating is not required to come to a program. I always tell people, 'I want you here more than I want your dollars.'"

People must be at least 60 years old to attend the senior center, which provides much more than just fun programming, Raush remarked.

"There are so many reasons the senior center is important," she said. "What we really focus on is ending social isolation. We give people a reason to get out of the house and interact with other people. We also offer free lunch Monday through Friday, and it's a complete meal, so seniors are getting a nutrition lunch. Study after study shows that when seniors participate in activities, volunteer, take group classes, they live longer and more satisfying lives. Their overall quality of life is better than if they stayed home and isolated."

She especially enjoys watching the relationships that grow between the seniors who attend the center.

"We have a younger senior who has sort of adopted our oldest member, a lady in her 90s," Raush shared. "She likes doing crafts, but she doesn't have the dexterity or the eyesight or hearing to do it well anymore, so he helps her out. They both get so much satisfaction out of that."

Raush invites any senior who is interested to stop in to the center to learn more and try a program or activity.

"People sometimes get very concerned when they hear they have to do paperwork to join us," she said. "I like to tell them, 'We are not the doctor's office. Come in and experience us first, and then do the paperwork on your own time.'"

She's proud of her seniors who go out of their way to be warm and welcoming to newcomers.

"Nobody's going to bite you," she said with a laugh. "Several of our members would lose their teeth if they tried. Whether you want to sit back and people watch and take it all in, or you want to jump right into the deep end and learn a new card game or try a new activity, everyone will be welcoming. We have so many options for seniors to have a better quality of life all in one place."

Transportation may be arranged to the senior center for the anniversary party if needed. Reservations for the party are requested, but not required. To make a reservation, call the senior center at 717-367-7984 or send an email to SeniorCenter@GetintoGEARS.org.