TINA GORMAN
Excitement is in the air for older adults living in Westfield as plans are well underway for the long awaited new Senior Center. The design team has been hard at work, fleshing out the details of the structure, both inside and out. Neighborhood meetings have been held and the Planning Board has reviewed and approved the proposal. A brochure depicting the plans is available through the Friends of the Westfield Senior Center group. For those wishing to view the poster size plans, they are on display at the current Senior Center located at 40 Main Street. The new building will be spacious and functional, allowing the Council On Aging to offer additional services, programs, and activities.
The ‘Friends of the Westfield Senior Center’ has assumed the responsibility of raising $500,000 to furnish the new Center. Toward that end, the group continues to enroll new members, host fundraising events, and plan a capital campaign. Membership dues are $10 per year for an individual, $20 per year for a family, and $100 for a lifetime individual membership. Flyers regarding membership are available at the Senior Center as well as on the Friends website, www.westfieldseniors.org. Anyone may join the Friends group. There are no age or residency restrictions. All that’s necessary is a sincere interest in providing a better quality of life for Westfield’s older adults.
In terms of fundraising, if you are ready for a night of fun, music, and prizes, then the Friends group invites you to attend its annual “Shake Off the Winter Party” to be held on Saturday, March 1 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Shaker Farms Country Club. Hors d’oeuvres will be served and entertainment will be provided by Westfield’s own Cory & the Knightsmen. Raffle tickets will be sold for prizes including gift certificates to local businesses and restaurants, gift baskets, casino trips, a handmade afghan, and more. The Grand Raffle Prizes include a flat-screen television donated by Firtion Adams Funeral Service, a $100 money bouquet donated by Yankee Mattress Factory, and a round of golf for four donated by Shaker Farms Country Club. Event tickets are $20 for Friends of the Westfield Senior Center members and $25 for non-members. Tickets may be purchased at Keenan Law Offices, 48 Elm Street and the Westfield Council On Aging office, 40 Main Street.
The “Shake Off the Winter Party” is a night out for Senior Center supporters of all ages. Photographs of past parties are on display at the Senior Center and clearly this is a multigenerational bandstand bash. This community event features much-loved local musicians, with raffle prizes donated by local businesses, and sponsorship by a local and well respected agency. This year’s sponsor, Noble Visiting Nurse and Hospice Services, has been a staunch supporter of Council On Aging services and programs for years. So gather your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors and join Friends Board members Tom Humphrey, Bill Tatro, Ginny Hebert, Kathy Millas, Attorney Tom Keenan, Bill Thompson, and Mike Parent as together we eat, party, sing, dance, win prizes, and “shake off the winter!”
Tina Gorman
Director
Westfield Council On Aging
