By Jill Nagy
The Greater Glens Falls Senior Citizens Center offers “a little bit of everything” in a converted Victorian mansion in the heart of Glens Falls, according to executive director Kim Bren.
For people age 55 and over wanting to be active, there is a full program of exercise and recreational activities and a fully equipped woodworking shop. Members go out to lunch once a month and, also once a month, have a themed luncheon at the center. (There is no regular lunch program, but that is available next door at the Presbyterian Church).
Members of the center take day trips to Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Lake George and other area attractions. A line dance group practices at the center and performs at area nursing homes. Other group activities include bowling, golf leagues, picnics and card games. There are “tons of programs” on such issues as healthy hearts and diabetes as well as regular opportunities to have blood pressure, blood sugar, or hearing tested, said Bren. Coming up is a program about ticks and the diseases they carry.
Bren said she is particularly proud of the senior service specialist at the center, Ed Cappazuppi. The specialist provides help with finding housing, evaluating health insurance plans, and applying for programs at the Office of Aging, among other services. He is also a notary public. He makes home visits to members who cannot come to the center.
On October 18, during the open enrollment period for health insurance plans, the center will sponsor Medicare 101, a program explaining Medicare benefits and an opportunity for every health insurance company in the area to come in and describe their Medicare supplement plans. The service specialist will help individuals evaluate the plans and choose the most appropriate one.
The center also has a library, a boutique, and a gift shop. There is a van available to take people to and from the center and to medical appointments.
Bren described the facility as “very homey,” with a coffee pot on all the time and many places to sit and relax, with or without a cup of coffee. “Many of our seniors consider us a home away from home.”
There are four full-time and two part-time employees at the center as well as volunteers who come in to help.
Those interested in getting involved in the many volunteer opportunities can contact the center. Opportunities include staffing the thrift shop, helping with fund raising events, holiday decorating and more.
The center has 650 members. About 65 of them show up each day, a total of 1,500 visits in July. Membership costs $20 a year but, said Bren, “No one is turned away, ever.”
The Greater Glens Falls Senior Citizens Center was formally opened in the Baptist Parsonage at 94 Maple St. in 1959. By the end of the first year of operation, membership had reached 188.
A move to the Augustus Sherman House in 1962 provided room for the expansion of programs. The Sherman House was transferred over to the senior center organization by the First Presbyterian Church in 2014 as it celebrated 55 years of service to the senior community.
While most members come from Glens Falls or Queensbury, there is no residence requirement. The telephone number is (518) 793-2189.
Its website is www.gfseniors.com.