EMPTY STOCKING: Country lady comes to the city

Millie was a country girl her whole life, and spent three decades living near Ellicott.

But with her legs “giving out on me,” Millie and her husband knew they’d need to be closer to doctors and other amenities Colorado Springs offered. So they left their three-bedroom country house for a one-bedroom apartment. Within two months, her husband had died.

That was seven years ago.

Now the 76-year-old relies on Silver Key services to help get her to those doctor appointments and keep her apartment tidy.

“I didn’t have any way to go any place,” said Millie. “So I signed up for the bus service. Those guys are so nice! They just know exactly where they’re going and how to get there.”

Only Millie’s first name is being used to protect her privacy.

Silver Key also sends a helper to Millie’s apartment to help clean and do laundry.

“She’s such a neat little gal. We get along real good,” Millie said.

Silver Key Senior Services is one of 14 area charities receiving grants from The Gazette-El Pomar Foundation Empty Stocking Fund. The agency provides services to anyone older than 60 years, to ensure they “live safely, with dignity and independence.”

Millie, who recently became a great-great grandmother, said she’s still not quite adapted to city life after almost eight years.

“I just can’t seem to get used to the sounds of those cars going back and forth,” she said. “This used to be an awful nice little town. It’s not that anymore. I’ve been here 50 years and seen a lot of changes in Colorado Springs.”

But she looks forward to family gatherings in the country and visits from her friends at Silver Key.

“Just wherever you need to go, why they just get you there,” she said. “There’s nothing like Silver Key.”

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To make a secure online donation, go to www.fillanemptystocking.org. Call 476-1673 to make a credit card or stock donation over the phone. Checks can be made payable to the Empty Stocking Fund and mailed to P.O. Box 400, Colorado Springs, CO 80901.