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EAGLE LAKE — Founder and executive director John Jones announced Seniors Together’s expansion to Eagle Lake and Sealy at the Colorado County Commissioners Court on Monday, Aug. 25.
Seniors Together, a social program for active seniors 55+ years of age, will open in Eagle Lake starting January 2026. Seniors Together currently operates in Columbus and Weimar and meets for three hours twice a month. At Columbus from 10-11:30 a.m., seniors will play games like dominoes and cards and enjoy coffee, tea and a snack. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to noon. The gathering closes out with bingo from noon to 1 p.m. The program in Eagle Lake will meet in the fellowship hall at the Christ Episcopal Church. Dates and times are still pending confirmation.
“It’s for people to be able to get out and socialize and be part of the community again, instead of being locked up or… in their houses alone suffering depression and isolation,” Jones said.
Seniors Together operates under the non-profit organization Three Crosses Ministry that John Jones and his wife Dianne Jones founded; however, the senior social program is not religious. Jones shared that they launched Three Crosses Ministry in 2014 so he and Dianne could help community members with immediate needs like replacing an air conditioning unit or paying unpaid bills. John and Dianne started Seniors Together in 2021.
“About five years ago, we were just sitting around and saying, ‘You know what? There’s really nothing for us to do our age because we’re over 60,’” John Jones said. “…Really the only thing that came close to it was Meals on Wheels which [was] shut down at the time because of COVID and did not get to reopen.”
John Jones said part of his motivation stems from the detrimental effects of isolation that he learned about from the Wellness Council of the Greater Colorado Valley. The Wellness Council hosts informational presentations and monthly meetings on a variety of mental health topics. Their website also lists numerous local and larger resources for all health topics.
“What I have learned through going to these meetings is that [isolation] leads to depression, mental health issues, spiritual issues, medicine abuse – because they’ll either forget to take their medicine or they’ll take too much medicine,” Jones said. “…There was no place for [seniors] to interact with society other than maybe a church on Sundays.”
Jones encouraged those who may be nervous to become involved and active in their community.
“We’ve had many people come who are nervous when they walk in the door, not knowing who they’re going to see, but have left with big smiles on their faces. I can’t tell you the number,” Jones said. “Some people have a hard problem of walking into a new place where they don’t know [anyone]. I guarantee they probably know somebody there. Don’t be nervous.”
