The Cass County Council on Aging welcomed community members into its new Dowagiac facility Saturday, providing a place for individuals to access programs and services.
Front Street Crossing, 227 S. Front St., is the second satellite location for the Council on Aging (COA). Previously, the services and programs offered to older adults were only available at the Edward Lowe Center in Cassopolis. After raising $375,000 in community donations, Front Street Crossing was created and opened to the public.
“We’ve been thinking about obtaining our own building probably since 1994,” Annette McCullin, COA communications coordinator, said. “This has been a long time coming.”
In addition to cutting the red ribbon Saturday with Mayor Don Lyons, residents came out to tour the facility, dine in the new cafe and listen to music by Al Mott.
“There were two big surprises with this facility,” Brent Robinson, site manager, said.
“First, the amount of fundraising that came through. It surpassed what a lot of people were thinking. And also, how beautiful the building really turned out to be.”