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Heartland senior services reports steady use of 64 Word Center, says ARPA-funded project complete
Summary
Heartland Senior Services told the Story County Board of Supervisors that its 64 Word Center has built steady participation since opening, runs a library outreach pilot, delivers about 400 Meals on Wheels weekly countywide, and used $300,000 in ARPA funds to complete the facility project.
Heartland Senior Services presented an annual report to the Story County Board of Supervisors on March 24, saying the agency’s 64 Word Center has found its stride since opening and is expanding outreach across the county.
The presentation, delivered by Deb Shoulder of Heartland, summarized services, participation and partnerships from October 2024 through August 2025 and highlighted a library-based outreach pilot and volunteer programs intended to broaden access to seniors outside Ames.
“It's been a year and a half. That's the 64 Word Center has been open and I am pleased that we're finding our stride and figuring things out on providing services and making those accessible to the citizens of the county,” Shoulder said.
Shoulder described a six-month pilot begun last October in which outreach specialist Ann Nordman holds monthly office hours in several Story County libraries to meet residents, assess needs and connect them with home health, transportation and other services; Shoulder said she and Nordman’s supervisor will review the pilot in April to determine next steps.
She also told the board Heartland provides program-specific outreach to senior centers and that Mary Greeley Hospital prepares roughly 400 Meals on Wheels packages per week that volunteers deliver to every community in the county. “We have approximately 400 meals that go out,” she said.
Heartland has partnered with RSVP to recruit volunteers for a "friendly visitor" program, offering in-person or phone visits to address social isolation; Shoulder said the program had previously been funded through ASSET and is positioned to complement outreach assessments by Nordman.
On funding, Shoulder said Heartland received $300,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the facility and that those dollars were received in one lump sum and expended; she said the project is complete. “We are very grateful for that opportunity to receive those funds,” she said.
Shoulder also announced upcoming personnel changes: Lori Yoakum Whipple, the Adult Day Center director, will retire at the end of June after 25 years, and Shoulder said she informed her board that she plans to retire by year-end; recruitment and transition planning are underway.
The presentation included several offers to provide additional data: registration records maintained by Parks and Recreation and program partners can quantify nonresident participation in classes and facility use; Shoulder said staff can provide those counts upon request.
The board did not take action during the report but thanked Heartland for the update. The presentation was followed by other routine business and committee updates.
