SHREWSBURY – The Shrewsbury Senior Center is working to connect with community members through its new technology offerings and its programs like the InterAge Alliance.
InterAge Alliance, Hootboard
One of the key demographics the center aims to engage is local high school students.
Students who live in Shrewsbury can join the InterAge Alliance, where they have the opportunity to volunteer with the center and contribute ideas for its improvement. Council on Aging Director Hollie Lucht said that the alliance connects even more people.
“These students come in and give us these great ideas for programs and events. Working with them is helping us be more visible within the community. I think having a wider range of volunteer opportunities really helps our growth,” Lucht said.
Their assistance benefits both the students and the seniors.
“We’re able to give back to the students who are building their professional career and need to start with a high school resume entering college. We’re doing everything we can to assist them in getting those college perks by helping their local community,” Lucht said. “I believe that we can help them move forward and at the same time they can help us become a more vibrant department within the town of Shrewsbury.”
New technology will strengthen the accessibility and efficiency of program offerings.
Hootboard is a digital bulletin board that highlights current opportunities at the senior center. It can be accessed via an in-person kiosk at the senior center and an app.
“Our first thing is to serve the seniors in town that are 60+ but also to incorporate the rest of the community. I believe that having this great tech will do just that,” Lucht said.
There will be resources for people to access Hootboard both remotely and in person provided at the center.
“Whenever we offer something like this, we offer ways for people to get involved,” Lucht siad. “We have educational workshops coming up in September so we can teach people how to use the kiosk when they come into the center and how to be able to use the application on their phone.”
Volunteer Heroes Awards
The Volunteer Heroes Awards, taking place in September, will recognize three different groups of volunteers: those aged 0-18, 19-59 and 60+.
“We wanted to do this because we want to be able to recognize the people that really make Shrewsbury the strong town that it is,” Lucht said. “By having more volunteer opportunities and then recognizing those volunteers with a celebration that includes town manager, select boards, state representatives we aim to celebrate them for the work that they do for us.”
For those interested in volunteering, there are various opportunities available, including assisting with Meals on Wheels, serving as a receptionist, or even handling tasks like laminating and cutting from home. All of these can be accessed by contacting the Shrewsbury Council on Aging.
“We’re here to assist anybody to make sure that they get the communication and the resources that we offer,” Lucht said.