SHIRLEY — The Council on Aging recently received a much-appreciated gift in the form of $15,000 in state funding.
“This is a celebration for the senior center,” said Shirley Senior Center and COA Director Amy Leonard at the Jan. 14 check presentation held at the center. “All of us work together and this program has been made better by each and every one of you.”
State Sen. John Cronin was on hand to present a check for the state budget funds that will help replace the 30-year-old refrigerator at the senior center along with other kitchen updates and purchasing new tables and chairs.
“Today is a great day,” said Cronin, who made sure to give credit to Rep. Danillo Sena for helping to secure the appropriated funding and thanked former senior center and COA director Kristen O’Brien and Town Administrator Bryan Sawyer for their efforts.
He emphasized that his office is available to assist people in the community with their needs — “any issue you can imagine under the sun” — and specifically shared that his Constituent Service Director Beth Walsh holds office hours at the Shirley Senior Center.
“Our real job is to support communities,” Cronin said to those gathered on Wednesday. “Help us help you.”
Sena disclosed that Cronin “is really the one who got it done.”
“Thank you for thinking of Shirley. Thank you for thinking of supporting the senior center here,” Sena said to Cronin before asking for “a round of applause for all the cooks,” who had made a delicious meal of veggie lasagna and salad for the occasion.
Leonard came on as the COA and senior center director in September. Living just over the Shirley town line and having worked at the Ayer Library for 17 years, she is deeply ingrained in the community and expressed gratitude to Cronin for what he does for it.
When speaking to him before the check presentation, she expressed that it was “earth shattering” when he reached out to offer to help with funding.
“This is wonderful, so glad to see things moving forward. Dollars go a long way,” she said to Cronin, to which he replied, “Every time our team comes here we see how much the senior center does for the community. We are here to support you.”
Friends of Shirley Seniors volunteer member Vicki Landry, who has served on the COA board for years and helps raise funds for the center, said the state funding is the just shot in the arm they need. When asked why it’s important to offer services and programs for seniors in town along with a warm and welcoming center, she said “interaction with the community” is beneficial for them.
“It is so needed to keep them from being isolated,” Landry said, adding that she wishes they had more “younger seniors” visiting and utilizing the center regularly.
O’Brien helped write the grant that led to the $15,000 in state funding when she was the COA and senior center director for a year and a half.
“I am just so grateful for everything they are doing to support the senior center,” she said of the state and local officials like Cronin and Sena who walk the walk.
Cronin pointed out they kept the funding “as flexible as possible” so the COA could direct it towards what is needed most when it comes infrastructure upgrades for the center.
“The funding secured in this year’s budget for the Shirley Council on Aging will have a direct impact on our seniors and the special community they continue to foster,” Cronin said following the event. “I’m grateful to the entire COA staff, Rep. Sena, and the entire the town of Shirley, whose advocacy made this investment possible. I’m excited to continue working with the town and its residents to deliver meaningful support that makes life better for everyone.”
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