The Colley Senior Complex is looking for a few good men and they’ve found a couple of lures that are sure to bring them in.

Janet Motes, Complex director, said those who know about the many programs and activities that are offered at the Colley Senior Complex are there when the doors open.

“But there are still a lot of people in our area who aren’t familiar with what we do,” Motes said. “We wanted to offer new programs that would have a greater outreach and attract people with different interests. We especially wanted to offer some programs that would be of special interest to men. We have a group of men who are strong supporters of our programs but actually it’s just a few. Men just don’t think there is much for them to do here.”

In an effort to change that way of thinking, Motes said she started looking for activities that would be of special interest to men.

“My first thought was woodcarving but that is such a specialty that not many people wanted to try it,” she said. “Then I met Jason Bell, who is the National Blitz Chess Champion. He agreed to teach a chess class and we already have six people enrolled. He is a great teacher and everyone is having a good time while learning the strategies of the game.”

The chess class meets at 5:15 on Monday nights at the Colley Senior Complex and Motes said it’s not too late to join.

“We also have a new Spanish class, and it’s a big one,” she said. “The idea for that class came from our police department. They realized the increasing need to know conversational Spanish and expressed an interest in a Spanish class.”

The Spanish class has about 25 members but new members are always welcome.

“The Spanish class is a service that we are providing for our community,” Motes said. “We have waived the 50 and over age requirement so that anybody who wants to learn Spanish can attend.”

The Spanish class meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the Colley Senior Complex.

Another new class that Motes is especially excited about is the fall gardening class.

“Susan Berry has been teaching our gardening classes for a long time but this class will be special in that it’s a raised bed class,” Motes said.

“The class is especially designed for those who have difficulty bending and stooping or for those who are confined to a wheelchair.”

The raised bed gardening class was made possible through a grant from the Steps for a Healthier AL.

For more information about these and other programs and activities at the Colley Senior Complex, call 808-8500.