The Princeton Senior Resource Center (PSRC) was one of seven New Jersey organizations nominated for the Carl F. West Award for outstanding work on behalf of New Jersey’s older residents.
While this year’s award was given to one of the other finalists, the nomination itself and the selection as one of seven finalists was a great accomplishment for PSRC, according to a prepared statement. Over the past year, PSRC has been a leading senior center not only in terms of virtual programming, social services, and technology assistance, but also in terms of community involvement and leadership.
One signature program, the Vaccine Navigators, paired screened and trained volunteers with older adults to assist with scheduling appointments and navigating the multiple challenging and complex vaccine scheduling systems. In a three-month period, PSRC staff and volunteers helped over 550 older adults receive their vaccinations, according to the statement.
Early in the pandemic, PSRC pivoted to online programming and offered technology assistance to individuals and organizations throughout the community. Within two weeks of closing their doors in early March, several online programs were launched. Within two months, over 1,500 people had participated in virtual programming and support groups, providing encouragement and social engagement, according to the statement.
“While many senior centers were simply forced to close their doors, PSRC found a way to open our doors even wider,” PSRC CEO Drew Dyson said in the statement.
Now, Dyson notes, PSRC is preparing a future that includes virtual and hybrid programming options along with signature in-person programming. In addition to virtual options and programs at the Suzanne Patterson Building, PSRC is opening a new location at 101 Poor Farm Road in Princeton later this fall, according to the statement.
To learn more about PSRC’s plans for the future, community members are invited to attend special virtual programs on The Future of PSRC. Registration can be found at www.princetonsenior.org