Copperas Cove VFW Post #8577 offers space for displaced Senior Citizens after Senior Center closure

By BRITTANY FHOLER
Cove Leader-Press 

Following the closure of the Copperas Cove Senior Activity Center earlier this month, the VFW Post #8577 of Copperas Cove will welcome senior citizens on Tuesday mornings for the next three months. 
The VFW held a barbeque for the displaced senior citizens last Friday in the Post Home hall, where they host their Bingo games every week. The VFW then held a membership meeting on Monday, where members made the decision to allow senior citizens to utilize the VFW as a space to gather and socialize while the Senior Center is closed. 
The city of Copperas Cove announced in a press release earlier this month that “due to unforeseen circumstances and a staffing shortage, the Copperas Cove Senior Activity Center was temporarily closed on Tuesday, March 8th until further notice.”
The full-time employment position responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Senior Activity Center, as the Community Outreach Specialist, was posted by the Human Resources Dept. on March 15. Those interested in applying can apply at https://copperascove.applicantpro.com/jobs/2279326.html. Specific questions or concerns may be directed to Parks and Recreation at (254) 542-2719.
While the position is waiting to be filled, senior citizens can gather at the VFW, in the Post Home hall, every Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to play bingo, marbles, checkers, backgammon and other board games and card games, at no cost. The games will not be provided by the VFW, but the senior citizens are welcome to bring their own, according to former VFW Post Commander Herb Wright. 
Wright said that helping out the senior citizens is just how the VFW operates. 
“Per our VFW national bylaws, that’s what we’re supposed to do,” Wright said. “We’re supposed to support Veterans, their families and the local community.”
The decision to offer this for a 90 day period, effective from March 9, is to also send the message to the city that “the clock’s ticking” on finding a replacement to be able to reopen the space, Wright added. 
The VFW is located at 1506 Veterans Avenue in Copperas Cove.