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The North Mecklenburg Senior Center may close at the end of August if it can't raise enough money to make up for United Way cuts.  WFAE's Lisa Miller has more:

Each week nearly 100 older adults use the center to workout, get dance lessons, eat, and receive job training. The facility is one of four run by Charlotte Mecklenburg Senior Centers. The group's board decided to close the 2-year-old center in Cornelius after United Way cut its grant to the group by $66,000.

Joanne Ahern, the director of the senior center in Cornelius, says closing the center would leave many seniors in the lurch.

"It would be devastating to many of them," says Ahern. "We have seniors who come and play bingo on Tuesday. They come and do knitting and crocheting on Monday. They play cards on Wednesday, and they come to the luncheon and the lectures on Friday. This is their life."

Ahern says the center will stay open past August if the group can raise enough money from businesses and individuals. Charlotte Mecklenburg Senior Centers receives money from private donations, local, state, and federal grants.

The North Meck Senior Center could be run more economically if it were a function of the three North Meck Towns (Cornelius, Davidson & Huntersville) working collaboratively through their recreation departments and using existing facilities.

Many people do not think that the programming offered in North Meck at the so-called senior center is either fulfilling or well-organized. The money could be better used to serve other senior groups that are well-established in the area.