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Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia held the ribbon cutting ceremony for its Better Together Café on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at the Windsor Town Center with more than 40 seniors on hand who were joined by town and county leaders.

The event ran from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., with remarks from multiple officials being followed by the ribbon cutting, a presentation highlighting SSSEVA’s transportation services in Windsor, a Heart Scavenger Hunt and Dance Party, lunch and closing remarks and adjournment.

Near the beginning of the event, Senior Services CEO Steve Zollos took the mic and said, “We are so excited to welcome you to the Better Together Café here at Windsor Town Center. We’ve been looking forward to this day for some time, and I’m really glad that you could all come out.”

He said, “The focus of the Better Together Café is just like the name says — we’re better when we can get out together, when we socialize together, when we can have fun, play some games, learn some new things, exercise — we’re better together. So I hope everyone will continue to come out to the Better Together Café.”

He said that each week at the Windsor Town Center, there will be new things happening and going on in relation to the café.

“And I want you to know this is a true partnership between Senior Services, the Windsor Town Center, the (Town) Council here, as well as (Isle of Wight County) Parks and Recreation,” he said. “We’ve all come together in order to better serve the older adults in our community.”

Zollos introduced Windsor Mayor George Stubbs, who briefly offered some remarks.

“I’d like to welcome everyone again this morning to the Windsor Town Center for the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Better Together Café sponsored by Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia,” he said.

He noted that the town looks forward to working with SSSEVA.

“Providing these services, and with the town’s support, we are better working together,” he said.

Isle of Wight County Parks and Recreation Director Mike Frickanisce spoke briefly as well, explaining that his department “is very, very happy and pleased to be a part of opening this center — our second center in Isle of Wight.

“When I’m asked about what our centers do, what types of services they provide, I’m reminded of something Steve once told me,” he added, noting that he once said the senior centers throughout Hampton Roads give older adults “the opportunity to age with purpose.”

Frickanisce said, “(To) someone like myself, who could certainly be a member of this senior center, that strikes home. So it’s a wonderful opportunity for people in the county to be a part of this. So I want to thank the town of Windsor, Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia and Charnitta (Watters) for putting this together. Thank you very much!”

After plans previously fell through for a partnership between the town and SSSEVA at the town center, Watters, the senior director of operations at Senior Services, helped revive those plans and make the partnership a reality.