NAZARETH, Pa. — State Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich came to Nazareth on Wednesday to announce the state budget will provide more than $190,000 for two Northampton County senior centers.
Nazareth Senior Center will get $119,250 and the Silver Connection at Easton Area Community Center $70,938 in grant funding through the state Department of Aging’s 2022-23 Senior Community Center grant program.
- Nazareth Senior Center will get a $119, 520 boost from the state Department on Aging
- The money is for general improvements, with most of it going to a kitchen remodeling project
- The seniors at the center appeared grateful. Some asked for more activities and even invited government officials to come and play bingo with them
Nazareth Senior Center will use the money to make renovations to its kitchen area and the Easton Area Community Center to expand programming for its Silver Connection program and renovate its facilities.
The grants are part of a $2 million initiative from the state Department of Aging, also announced Wednesday. It is set to provide funding for 48 senior centers in the state.
Kavulich said part of the purpose of the grants is to "enhance the programs and services in place, as well as create new opportunities to welcome current visitors and attract new customers."
'A warm feeling'
"I had such a sense of welcome and warmness and acceptance when I walked through the door today," Kavulich said at a podium to announce the funding.
"It was just a good feeling, and I really appreciate all of you and all that you've done to make me feel at home here."
He said that early in his career, he was a caseworker, which included some time spent in senior homes.
"I know I don't look like I worked for 25 years, but I feel like I've worked for 50," he said, jokingly.
Senior centers in Northampton County provide a place for seniors to come together to engage in social activities and to get a nutritious meal.State Sen Lisa Boscola
State Sen. Lisa Boscola later said in a news release that "senior centers in Northampton County provide a place for seniors to come together to engage in social activities and to get a nutritious meal.
“The Nazareth Senior Center and the Silver Connection at Easton Area Community Center operate terrific centers that have a positive impact on seniors in both communities and these state dollars will allow them to make important capital renovations to improve their programs.
“Northampton County Senior Centers are a tremendous asset to our communities and the fact that two centers received grant funding in this incredibly competitive grant process is proof of the great work being done by Northampton County’s Area Agency on Aging,” Boscola said.
'In my apartment there's really noting'
Seniors in the audience at the Nazareth Center during the visit by Kavulich were outwardly grateful for the funding.
Some cheered and yelled "Thank you" as soon as the funding was announced.
"That's wonderful," one of the women in the audience, Joanne Lambert said.
In my apartment, there's nothing really. I live by myself, and in there, I'm not even learning anything. That's why I come here every day, to mix with people. If I stay in my apartment, that's it — I'm by myself. 24 hours a day, it's no fun.Senior resident Joanne Lambert
Lambert is turning 90 this year and said she lives down the street in an apartment but gets lonely, so she comes to the senior center to visit friends and sometimes play bingo.
"In my apartment, there's nothing really," Lambert said. "In there, I'm not even learning anything. That's why I come here every day, to mix with people. If I stay in my apartment, that's it — I'm by myself. 24 hours a day, it's no fun."
Part of the remarks at the presentation included that seniors' community centers are one way to reduce loneliness in seniors — which one of the speakers, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure, said he believes is as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes in a day.
Lambert said one of the biggest benefits she feels from gathering with others is learning. She said she spent her early life playing the flute and piccolo, and said she misses it, and the feeling of challenge and growth that came with the discipline of music.
"The school supplied the flute, so when I left, when I graduated, that was it," she said.
She said she had been curious about getting back into the instrument, but because of expensive medical bills, she's had to plan her finances carefully.
Lambert said she's thankful for places such as Nazareth Senior Center, where she can go to expand her horizons in some way.
A polite earful
After the presentation wrapped up, a man at the center, who asked that his name not be used, gave a list of recommendations and requests to the government presenters during a question period.
The recommendations included items such as more activities, bus trips to flower fields, inviting county government officials to come and play bingo with them and a Q&A session where seniors could ask questions to government officials about their jobs.
Kim Nichol, the Area Agency on Aging senior services director, asked the man to redirect his list to Stacey, who runs the Nazareth Senior Center.
"I'm just going to give you the list if that's OK," the man said. "Stacey is busy enough." That got a knowing laugh from Stacey and the rest of the room.
When people started to file out, Kurt Derr from state Sen. Lisa Boscola's office joined the man and some friends at a table, where they politely probed him about tax questions.
"I don't mind paying your taxes, but when I'm retired?" said one, who also asked that his name not be used.
The other questions included topics such as discrepancies in property tax prices for bigger and smaller homes, transit problems and school taxes.
Derr appeared sympathetic.
"The devil's in the details," he said, nodding and listening. "There's going to be some changes on that because the way we fund public education is unconstitutional."
