Donations help Comfort senior center close in on remodel

D i hl Donations help Comfort senior center close in on remodel

Officials with the Comfort Golden Age Center expect to begin renovation sometime this summer on the decades-old facility they currently call home, thanks to generous donations from three local foundations.

The three — Perry and Ruby Stevens Foundation, Hal and Charlie Peterson Foundation, and Create Healthy Foundation — have helped Golden Age reach 93% of its $750,000 goal for renovating the aging structure it owns at 628 Front St.

“We are incredibly grateful to these foundations for their generous commitment to our mission of serving seniors,” said Dinah Johnson, Comfort Golden Age Center executive director. “These awards have energized our fundraising efforts, and we look forward to starting renovations and creating a warm, welcoming environment for our seniors and for our community.” Golden Age has operated for the past three decades in a space rented from VFW Post No. 8569. In November 2024, the veterans group voted to disband their post “and generously sold their building to us, giving us our own home,” said Aaron Brooks, the center’s program and grant coordinator.

The building, built in 1946, is in need of renovations to allow for program growth, addition of safety features and general improvements to make it a more welcoming place for the seniors it serves.

In February, the Perry and Ruby Stevens Foundation awarded the center a “Challenge Grant” of $150,000, requiring Golden Age to raise matching funds by the end of 2025, to likewise encourage community involvement and provide momentum for its fundraising efforts.

The center knocked it out of the park, to say the least.

Funds from the Hal & Charlie Peterson Foundation and Create Healthy came in totaling $310,000 — which exceeded the Stevens Foundation’s challenge grant requirement.

Now, combined with previously raised capital funds from generous donors and fundraisers over the years, the renovation fund has reached $700,000 already, just shy of the $750,000 goal after just five months.

As the population of the Hill Country region has grown, the senior population in and around Comfort has also grown considerably.

According to a June 30 press release, the number of “check-ins” at the center increased by 60% from 2022 to 2023. The center added an average of 16 new activities per month to the events calendar last year.

“As the aging population has increased in our area, there has been a greater need to offer services and programs that serve these individuals,” the release stated.

The center, established in October 1987, serves the northern part of Kendall County, including Waring, Welfare and Comfort to the borders of Kerr and Gillespie counties.

With the help of about 75 volunteers, it serves about 280 seniors per year through its 20-plus different programs and activities, including a medical loan closet, food pantry/pet food pantry, comfort supplies and safety kits, a health library, wellness education programs and social activities.

Brooks spelled out the function and focus of the three foundations that boosted the center’s fundraising campaign by more than $460,000.

Perry and Ruby Stevens Foundation

The Stevens Charitable Foundation has served the Texas Hill Country since January 2006, giving primarily to nonprofit organizations focused on care for the mentally or physically handicapped, abused or neglected women, volunteer firefighting programs, disaster relief, animal welfare, Parkinson’s research and treatment, aid for disadvantaged or abused youth, resources for financially struggling elderly and assistance for individuals with illnesses.

Hal and Charlie Peterson Foundation

Established in Kerrville in 1944 by two brothers, the Hal and Charlie Peterson Foundation gives about $3 million each year to health care, education and other charitable organizations throughout Kerr County and its six adjacent counties.

Create Healthy

Create Healthy invests in the health and wellness of the Hill Country and empowers its communities to build a healthy future. Led by Jayne Pope, the foundation is overseen by a volunteer board of directors. For details, go to: Create-Healthy.org.

For details on how to contribute or to learn more about Comfort Golden Age Center, call Johnson at 830995-3032 or visit its website: www.comfortgac.org.