NEVADA COUNTY, Calif. May 8, 2024 – “With the new Community Senior Center scheduled to open in July, this grant could not have come at a better time,” says Gold Country Senior Services Executive Director, Leslie Lovejoy. “These funds will help expand the services we offer to our local senior clients, as well as to the entire community.”
In addition to the essential, year-round services, such as Meals on Wheels and the Senior Firewood Program, older adults will benefit from empowering educational programs that support healthy aging, such as technology classes, nutrition and cooking classes, exercise activities and opportunities to socialize. Grant funds will also ensure that a facilities coordinator will be an essential addition to the staff.
“Our Senior Center plans encompass the entire community,” Lovejoy emphasizes, “especially during emergencies. When Nevada County is challenged by fire and extreme-weather conditions, it will double as a cooling or warming center with access to meals, plus up-to-date information. Its proximity to the Grass Valley Veterans Hall and to Interfaith Food Ministry makes it a convenient, go-to place. Even before it has opened, the center has established itself as a long-awaited, vital amenity.”
The California Strategic Growth Council, Community Resilience Centers Program recently approved the Nevada County Community Resilience Grant application for $10 million. Gold Country Senior Services, Nevada County, Interfaith Food Ministry and FREED Center for Independent Living collaborated, and funds will soon be available and allocated over a four-year term.
Gold Country Senior Services has been serving Nevada County’s older adults since 1976. Thanks to this recent grant, generous donors, support from the business community, their partners, dedicated volunteers, board and staff members, the center, located at 231 Colfax Avenue, Grass Valley, will open its doors in July, marking a major milestone in Nevada County’s history and in its future.
Further information about the Community Senior Center is available at https://www.goldcountryservices.org/senior-center/