Senior Center Best Practices

Managers, Directors and Center Personnel

Senior Center Best Practices

Category
Money Making Ideas

Senior Center/Nutrition Program/Organization Name
Potter County Human Services AAA - Coudersport Senior Center

Address
1004 South Main Street, Coudersport, PA 16915

Phone Number
Potter AAA - 814-544-7315 Center - 814-274-7887

E-Mail
bkiel@pottercountyhumansvcs.org

Contact Person
Barb Kiel - AAA

Event Name
Penn State Cooperative Extension Science of Gardening Program/Coudersport Senior Center Fundraise

Description/Overview
The 4-H young people involved with the Science of Gardening Program are raising vegetables and fruit in a garden provided by the Cooperative Extension. The produce from the garden will be used for a soup, salad and dessert luncheon fundraiser being held in a local restaurant. The owner of the restaurant will provide the facility and will cook the food. Our Potter County Office of Aging employees will provide dessert and help serve. This is being held September 11, 2010, from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. All proceeds will be given to the senior center to help pay their operating expenses. The young people came to the senior center on July 21st to meet the senior citizens, have lunch, tell about their garden and experiments they have been doing and to play games and the Wii with the senior citizens. Tickets are being sold for $5.50.

Time and Manpower
The 4-H group and leaders have a lot of time into planting and cultivating the garden. They work in the garden several days a week. Aging and Senior Center Staff have had several meetings planning the event. The fixing of the food and serving will be volunteered help.

Marketing
The staff from the Cooperative Extension are making posters to be put around the local businesses. Aging Staff will advertise the event in the local newspapers, radio stations and churches.

Audience Served
We hope to target many in the community by having them come to the event and hopefully they will try to come up with other ideas on how they can help their local senior center who pays extremely high rent for their facility. We have done presentations for the local Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce and etc… Hopefully, this will encourage them to come up with ways they can help their local senior citizens.

Partnerships Utilized
Our partnerships are with Penn State Cooperative Extension, local restaurant and Office of Aging Staff.

Budget/Costs
No cost - everything is donated and volunteered.

Impact On Center
Our goal is to raise money for the center due to high operational costs. Another goal is to have our young people work together to help our senior citizens. They are really enjoying each other's company. The young people also take their produce and experiments to a local senior housing. It is great for all involved. Our final goal is to let the community know more about our senior center and hopefully get more participants.

Good Tips/Other
So far the project is going great. We have some neat pictures from the young people visiting the senior center. We will not be having the event until September 11, 2010. That will be when we know how productive all our endeavors have been financially. The intergenerational results have been fantastic. Please let me know if you need more information and additional information after the event.