By BEAU BROCKETT JR.

beau.brockett@leaderpub.com

BUCHANAN — Some people may associate the phrase “community development” with affordable housing projects, economic development corporations and chambers of commerce.

Adam Burck has worked in all three fields, but he considers his new job as the director of the Buchanan Area Senior Center to be in the same job sector.

He began working at the center in January.

“It’s still community development work,” he said. “It’s just the community definition is specific. It’s the seniors.”

It is work Burck said he loves. He has been in the community development fields for the past 30 years.

Before moving to the Buchanan area in 2014, the Chicago native helped build up his hometown’s neighborhoods through economic initiatives. He also worked in the urban environmental field in Côte d’Ivoire through the Peace Corps and the United Nations.

Burke then moved to the Buchanan area to be closer to his mother, brother and sister-in-law. He said his family had spread out from Chicago, and he missed being close to them.

He and his family have been long familiar with the area. They used to take summer trips to Berrien County along Lake Michigan.

Like Burck’s past jobs, his current position allows him to work to improve the lives of a specific population. While previous jobs created economic opportunity and environmental safety, he said his current job is meant to create social and health-related opportunities in a fun, helpful setting that he particularly likes. 

“I love community work,” he said. “I mean, that’s what I’ve done my whole career. It’s not for the money that you take this kind of work.”

Burck’s first project for the senior center was prescribed to him from leadership past: to create a community garden behind the facility through a Berrien Community Foundation grant.

The garden opened in May, and anyone, regardless of age, can help tend to it. It provides fresh fruits and vegetables to senior center attendees and volunteers, helping add a fresh ingredient to a summer food recipe or providing essential nutrients to a senior who may be struggling financially.

“The produce is meant for seniors, and people that are working in the garden can help themselves,” he said. “The idea is that surplus will go to seniors in need through the commodities program.”

Burck is also in the process of overhauling the Buchanan Area Senior Center’s website, which he said could be more informative and attractive.

Burck said he might also provide board development training programs to any organization that might be interested in gaining insights into executive branch strengthening.

Burck said his own board has strengthened in recent months, and it was the group that proposed the program in order to learn more.

Other projects include installing a rumble strip crosswalk between the senior center and senior living community, Metea Court, and hosting an event to teach seniors how to bequeath the nonprofit in their wills.

Much of Burck’s work, however, falls into the everyday.

“I’ve been looking at things where we can save money for the center so that we spend less on overhead and more on programs and services,” he said.

The senior center recently installed LED lights. The switch from incandescent to energy-efficient LEDs saves money and the environment, Burck said.

Other work includes continuing the senior center’s plethora of programs each week, each month or every year.

That includes blood pressure testing, health presentations, open exercise room hours, birthday bingo, movie screenings, knitting groups, card game groups, and hot and cold meals.

“I’m really happy being here, and it’s nice to be more integrated into the community,” Burck said.