Today we’re shining a spotlight on Schoharie County Council of Senior Citizens, Inc., a senior citizen support nonprofit that helps the aging population in New York. We’re inspired by their mission, what inspires them to do the work they do, and their goal to help the 50 Plus community stay active and social.
Schoharie County Council of Senior Citizens, Inc. –Cobleskill, NY
Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide cultural, social, and recreational activities, and help meet the needs of the 50 Plus Community in Schoharie County and surrounding areas.
Our vision is to support the 50 Plus community and inspire friendships, social engagement, and stimulating active living.
Story
The Schoharie County Council of Senior Citizens has been in business since 1971. The Senior Council is made up of 11 senior clubs around our county and whose purpose is to support the aging population and help to maintain independent and active living.
The Senior Council operates two successful thrift stores in Cobleskill, NY and Middleburgh, NY called the Everything Shoppes. These Shoppes provide the community with very low-priced clothing, household items, as well as a place for our local crafters to display and sell their merchandise.
All proceeds support our not-for-profits mission. We also provide programs such as the medical alert program to help those seniors who are at risk with a medical alert system, paid for by the Senior Council.
We also employ 40 employees who are contracted with Schoharie County departments for bus drivers, Medicaid drivers, Meal drivers, as well as clerical support.
This year, with the COVID-19 pandemic, it has definitely been a difficult time for the population we serve. Our Board of Directors is made up of Senior Citizens as well, so meeting has also been challenging.
However, while this pandemic has been hard to navigate at times, it also provided opportunities for us to really analyze our programs and services and make a plan on improving what we offer.
Insights
Many people have asked me if I am worried about trying to open the center with the pandemic still looming. My response is that we cannot continue to live in fear. Life still happens and facing things like this pandemic just make us learn to be more creative about programs and activities we offer. It also gives us an opportunity to provide supports to people who might not have needed help previously.
For me, I know this is the right step in my heart for this not-for-profit and I feel confident that the services we will be offering to our population will be a huge blessing to this area. There has never been anything like this in any of the surrounding areas and I believe it is a very needed service.
One of the reasons I felt compelled to opening a center is because when I was growing up in Connecticut, my grandmother was very involved with a local senior center. She would bring me with her and I was always amazed at how happy everyone was there and how busy they were doing different activities. This has stuck with me my whole life.
Consequently, when I began working for the Senior Council almost two years ago, I knew that this area could definitely use a community center where friendships could grow and people could find companionship and support.
Major Goals
In September 2020, we were very excited to have the opportunity to purchase our very own building which will provide programs and activities, computer access, socializing activities, as well as many other areas to help our 50 Plus population continue to live an active and healthy lifestyle. The Gathering Place 50 Plus Community Center will open in June 2021. Click here to read the brochure.
Our Board of Directors just participated in a Strategic Planning Retreat a couple of months ago. It was a great experience for all of us. We were able to walk through the SWOT analysis and come up with some measurable SMART goals for the next three years.
We now have a Three-Year Strategic Plan that will help to be a guide for us to accomplish the many things we want to do over the next couple of years. We are very fortunate to have a Board that is very passionate about our mission and our future plans.
Just as other not-for-profits find themselves in challenging economic times, the Senior Council is no different. We are looking for grants and other funding possibilities to help support the opening of this wonderful addition to our area.
We also just sent out our first annual year-end appeal to the community members. While there are many other not-for-profits in our area also seeking funding, we hope to find opportunities for businesses and foundations that want to help us grow and continue to serve our aging population.
We will all age eventually, and we need to provide supports and opportunities to help people continue to live active lifestyles and stay as independent as possible. We want our new facility to be a place where people can call or visit and be able to find assistance with anything they might need. We also hope to partner with other not-for-profits to help provide even more support.
Contact Information
Kimberly Witkowski
Executive Director
Public Contact: office@seniorcouncilofschoco.org
Phone Number: 518-254-7040
Name: Schoharie County Council of Senior Citizens, Inc.
City and State of Registration & main office: Cobleskill, NY
Geographic Scope of Service: We serve Schoharie County and surrounding areas
Website, Donations and Social Media
Link for making an online donation
Follow on Facebook
If you missed our last nonprofit spotlight, find it here.
Thanks for reading, and look out for our next spotlight soon! Please join the conversation over on our Facebook group.
If you want to be part of our amazing member’s community, and are looking for guidance on how to apply for grants, we’ve got you covered inside Grant Writing Made Easy, our comprehensive grant writing course.
