The Cass County COA presented its annual report and a new slate of leaders on its board of directors at the board’s annual meeting.

The meeting was held in conjunction with the annual volunteer dinner and participants voted on various issues.

At the April 30th meeting, Eleanore Flowers, president of the Cass County COA Board of Directors for nine years, stepped down as her term ended.

Newly elected officers for the COA include: president, Tom Celie, a retiree from Tyler Refrigeration; vice president, Harry Shaffer, a Cassopolis resident and business executive; secretary, Elaine Foster, the associate dean of nursing at American Sentinel University; and treasurer, Ron Jones, a retired superintendent of Dowagiac Union Schools.

“Eleanore Flowers has been the president of the board at the Cass County COA since shortly after I started in 2004,” stated Bob Cochrane, CEO of the COA. “She has provided leadership and direction and has been responsible for a wide variety of very positive changes. We are confident that Tom Celie, a former business executive, will bring new insights and continue to ensure our impact on the Cass County community.”

Tom Celie announced at the meeting that the 2013 Annual Report lists more than 1,000 donors and indicated that more than 1,400 guests made more than 17,000 visits to the Cass County COA to attend activities, fitness programs and lifelong learning classes.

The Annual Report also states that the Cass County COA delivers more than 42,000 meals annually via its Meals on Wheels and congregate meals program and over 17,000 hours of assistance through its In-Home Care program. A copy of the 2013 Annual Report is being sent with the June copy of the organization’s newsletter, The Messenger.

The Cass County COA operates on private donations, grants and a millage that is essential to the continuation of services and programs to the county’s growing baby boom and aging population.  The COA serves the community from two facilities—the Lowe Center at 60525 Decatur Road, Cassopolis and Front Street Crossing at 227 S. Front St. in Dowagiac.

The Cass County COA is a community organization offering programs and services for adults in all life stages.