GREEN RIVER — Golden Hour Senior Center has a new executive director in longtime Green River resident Marcia Driggs.

Marcia was recently appointed as the executive director after former director Ruth Lauritzen died Dec. 29, 2023. Ruth started as director in April 2022. While Marcia is excited for this new role, she acknowledges that it’s under bittersweet circumstances.

“It is bittersweet and not under the best circumstances,” she told SweetwaterNOW. “I spoke to Ruth before she passed and she was very kind and supported this decision 100%. Ruth was always my cheerleader. That made me ready to take on this position, as where two years ago, I just wasn’t.”

Marcia has served as the office manager for the senior center for the past five and a half years, and she was the interim director two years ago for five weeks. She was serving as the interim executive director for the past two months before earning the full time position.

“I have acquired so much knowledge, experience and understanding over the last five years that I’m confident this is going to be a great thing for Golden Hour patrons, staff and myself,” Marcia said.

This is an exciting time for Marcia, as she loves Golden Hour and the people she works with every day. Her plans for the center, for now, are to cross train staff and make other internal changes. However, she’s keeping changes minimal until everyone can gain their bearings and she can hire someone to take over her former position.

“For right now I’m treading water to keep things running until we hire a new office manager,” she said. “I do have a wish list but that is a secret for now.”

This transition in roles and finding the perfect fit for the office manager are Golden Hour’s biggest challenges right now. However, Marcia said her biggest personal challenge at the center is finding a repair service that will work on their commercial appliances and take care of the kitchen.

“I never thought this would be my biggest problem, but right now it is,” she said.

While taking on the executive director position is a challenge, it’s one Marcia is excited to be stepping into. She cares deeply for the patrons of Golden Hour and this community. While Marcia was born in Pennsylvania and lived in Oregon before moving to Green River, she considers herself a native, as she has lived here for 51 years. It is important for Marcia to take care of her community and the people in it.

“I love the patrons the most at Golden Hour,” she said. “I have made friends with a lot of good, interesting people.”

Under her leadership, she hopes that the center will be known throughout the community as a recreation center for the community’s seniors.

“There are so many wonderful people and events that are at Golden Hour, I want people to think of us as a recreation center for mature people to work their minds, bodies and spirits,” she said. “Do not underestimate the youth or wisdom of our patrons.”