04/28/2026
‘Afternoon Tea at the Council on Aging’
The Hardin County Council on Aging, Inc. hosted a tea with springtime-decorated cookies for County and State politicians on Wednesday afternoon at the Senior Center at 100 Memorial Avenue in Kenton. The Hardin County COA Board Members and Staff greeted the guests.
Jill Simmons, President of the COA Baard welcomed everyone and then shared the mission “to improve the lives of seniors 60 and older” by providing needed services and activities for the clients. She said that by their sharing time with us to learn about our agency this makes the organization and our community stronger. She then introduced Director Nicole Boose and the other organizers for today’s event, Carol Wilcox, vice-president and Faith Barrett, Outreach Supervisor.
Carol introduced each of the twenty guests and said this afternoon they would have the opportunity to meet the staff and hear about the services the COA provides. Boose then gave a brief history highlighting that it is a not-for- profit organization that began in 1978. Presently, the Agency has 28 employees (18 full time and 10 part time), a fleet of 16 vehicles, governed by a nine-member Board of Directors, and is funded by a property tax levy, ODOT grant, United Way grant, and donations. She gave a few 2025 statistics such as the vans drove 268,379 miles, completed 16,901 one-way trips, attendance averages 22 clients each day for activities and meals, services include mowing and trimming to 40 clients and homemaker services to 97 clients. She then fielded questions from the attendees.
As the guests toured the facility, staff explained the services they provide and answered questions as to the destinations for the trips, how people learn about the COA services, whether food is served, and who is the initial contact for a potential client. One question was why the staff liked to work at the COA and some of the responses were that they loved to hear the seniors’ life stories.
Please contact The Council on Aging at 419-673-1102 for an appointment or for a tour of the facility.
Caption for photo:l-r John Knedler, Board Member; Michael Bacon, auditor; Carol Wilcox, VP Board; Paul Osborne, candidate for Commissioner; Mark Schwemer; candidate for auditor; Michael Kasler, candidate for Commissioner; Darrel Flowers, candidate for Commissioner; Nicole Boose, Director; Michelle Laubis, candidate for Commissioner; Ty Mathews, State Representative 83rd District; Bob Carder, candidate for Commissioner; and Jill Simmons, President of the Board.
Not pictured Tim Strkier, Commissioner; Sonya Drumm, Board Member; Mary Sorgen-Ralston, Board Member; Robert Wood, Board Member; and Carole Parsell, Board Member; and James Hoops, candidate for State Senator.
