Falls Mills Adult Day Care Center holds official opening

May 8—FALLS MILLS, Va. — The new Falls Mills Adult Day Care Center was officially opened Friday, ending more than eight years of planning and working together to make it happen.

Part of the Appalachian Agency for Senior Citizens (AASC), the 8,800-sq.-ft. facility will provide supervision for seniors who live in the community and include a light breakfast and a hot lunch, as well as socialization, mental cognitive activities and physical activities.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to commemorate the opening.

Regina Sayers, AASC executive director, said it has been a long journey to bring the facility into fruition.

"I can't begin to express my excitement for this day (that was eight years in coming)," she said. "When we were researching this project ... I fell in love with this community and the people in this community. This project just felt right."

Sayers said it has been a "labor of love" for all involved.

"You feel a sense of community with everyone you meet," she said.

Many community leaders, county officials and two Virginia legislators were on hand for the event, which drew a standing-room-only crowd.

State Sen. Travis Hackworth, who recently won a special election to fill the vacancy created when former Sen. Ben Chafin died on New Year's Day, was the guest speaker.

"This is a beautiful facility," he said. "It's a wonderful addition to the Falls Mills community."

Hackworth said Sayers is a "whirlwind of adrenaline, excitement, motivation and persuasion" and without her leadership, the building may never have happened.

"She is a 'git r done' person and this is a testament to that," he said.

Brian Beck, AASC's Chief Financial Officer, has also done a "wonderful job," he added.

The agency serves thousands of people in the community, he said, and has delivered about 150,000 meals and will deliver meals out of the Falls Mills center as well.

The AASC also has adult day care centers in Haysi and one near Southwest Virginia Community College at Wardell.

"I can't say enough how excited I am to see this," he said. "I promise to help you in any way I can."

Hackworth also recognized West Virginia State Sen. Chandler Swope, who was in attendance, for his help and support of the facility.

Del. James W. "Will" Morefield also spoke and said projects like the center take a lot of time, work and persistence to make happen.

Morefield said Sayers and Eastern District Supervisor Maggie Asbury called him in the beginning of the planning stage to obtain a grant to get started, and it happened in a hectic short period of time in Richmond, but the $250,000 grant was approved.

"This job is not necessarily based on experience," he said of working in the General Assembly. "It's based on the relationships you have with the people you work with."

Those relationships pay off not only locally but in Richmond as well, in both the House and Senate and with both parties.

"Southwest Virginia is benefitting from that," he said.

Morefield said it takes a collective and team effort at all levels.

"It is our role to improve the quality of life for the people we represent," he said. "We could not be more proud of doing that and we want to continue doing that for many years to come."

Tazewell County Administrator Eric Young told the visitors and guests Sayers is a "lady of vision. She sees things that can be and makes them happen."

Young said many people worked together to bring that vision into reality and the facility provides a priceless gift to caretakers who are often taxed to the limit with their formidable tasks.

"Time is our most valuable commodity," he said. "This place makes time. It makes time for caregivers. It makes time for their families ... for their jobs ... for their spouses and their children..."

Young related a personal experience in his family that took a toll on a caregiver, and he said he knows just how valuable that time of rest can be, whether it's to go to the grocery store or have lunch.

"Keep in mind, they (the facility and its staff) are making something very special," he said. "They are making time."

Asbury said it was an honor to speak and she complimented leaders of Swope Construction, builders of the "beautiful facility," who were on hand.

"Everything that we have contracted with Swope to do has been phenomenal," she said. "It has been beyond our expectations."

Asbury said Sayers had invited her to the AASC adult day care facility near Richlands years ago and she was "touched" by the visit.

"It didn't take long for her to convince me that we needed another one on this end of the county for our citizens," she said.

Asbury also recognized fellow supervisors who attended, Charlie Stacy, Mike Hymes and Tom Lester, for their support on the project.

"We have one of the best boards that we have ever had in Tazewell County that sets politics aside and is able to work for whatever is best for the county," she said.

Asbury said she urges anyone in the community who needs the services of the center to come and take part.

Asbury also thanked Morefield and the late Sen. Ben Chafin for helping obtain that first $250,000 grant for the project, emphasizing how important it is to have good representation in Richmond.

"That (grant) was the turning point of moving this project forward," she said.

Beck also spoke and said the project "could have ended, many times. There were lots of hurdles we had to get through to get here."

But they pushed forward for almost nine years go make it happen, he said, also thanking the staff for all of their work and dedication.

Sayers said there was some initial resistance in the community for demolishing the old Falls Mills Elementary School to use that site for the center, and they wanted to honor the past and the school.

"As you tour the building you will find special touches honoring the community," she said, including some architectural elements and as much of the furnishings as possible, like the chairs used during the ceremony.

Bricks from the old school will also be used to build the center's sign.

Former Falls Mills Elementary Principal Deaton Jones provided a history of the school.

Lori Stacy, executive director of the Tazewell County Chamber of Commerce, led the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The new center will also have a small conference room for meeting after hours or during the day. There will be separate entrances, so the adult daycare center will be multi-functional, Sayers said.

— Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com