Senior Center Best Practices

Managers, Directors and Center Personnel

Senior Center Best Practices

Category
Marketing Your Center

Senior Center/Nutrition Program/Organization Name
Active Aging, Inc Senior Centers

Address
1034 Park Ave. Meadville PA 16335

Phone Number
814-336-1792

E-Mail
proberts@activeaging.org

Contact Person
Pam Roberts

Event Name
Madri Gras Ball and Parade

Description/Overview
the week before Lent starts, we hold our annual party. The highlight is the parade. Every center is given a big foil turkey roaster to decorate at Thanksgiving and the parade theme. (Movies, fairy tales, holidays have been some of them.) Each center submits their idea to Pam, so we have no duplicates. The day of the party, we have 3 local celebrities to judge. Each center puts their float on a bus cart and a grand parade ensures. It is a hoot, as up to 4 participants can accompany the float in coordinated costumes.

After judging, the floats provide decoration. We have a festive lunch New Orleans style, usually shrimp jambala and desert of a King Cake. We also put a baby doll under some ones chair and they have to parade around with the doll. It is well attended event 250+ . After lunch we have a local dixie land band play all types of music and the memories live on.

Time and Manpower
Decorating for the party. We reuse our previous decorations, College students decorate

Marketing
posters, news releases

Audience Served
Seniors age 60 and over

Partnerships Utilized
Judges

Budget/Costs
Seniors make a donation. Costs are band.

Impact On Center
Seniors love this, breaks up the long winter, and they get out to visit with their friends from other centers.

Good Tips/Other
Really fun for all.