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Center Receives State-Wide Recognition

The Volen Center has recently been recognized by two Aging Network leadership organizations for its high quality of service and leadership in the aging field.

The Center was named “Provider of the Year” at the May 25, 2010, annual meeting of the Area Agency on Aging Palm Beach/Treasure Coast. Presented by Jaime Estremera-Fitzgerald, AAA CEO, and Dr. Alan Sadowsky, Chair, AAA Board of Directors, the award recognizes the organization that has demonstrated exemplary leadership and innovation for the betterment of seniors in support of independent living. The award was accepted by Elizabeth Lugo, Center President/CEO. On August 17th at the 2010 annual meeting of the Florida Council on Aging, the Florida Association of Senior Centers presented the Florence R. Goldmann Award to the Volen Center recognizing the Center as Senior Center of the Year. The award, established in 1993 as a tribute to Flo Goldmann, the FASC’s first president, is given to nationally certified senior centers that have demonstrated outstanding service to the aging community. Elizabeth Lugo, Center President/CEO, Jared Policano, Programming Director, and Alice Smith of the Center’s Life Enrichment
staff attended to receive the award.

The Center has long been recognized for the diversity, quality, and innovative nature of its services. These two awards are the most recent acknowledgement of the Center’s 44 years of service to Palm Beach County and South Florida.

Center Regains Lead Agency Role

After a 2-1/2 year hiatus, the Volen Center has regained its position as lead agency in Southern Palm Beach County. On May 20, the Area Agency on Aging Palm Beach/Treasure Coast, Inc., announced the awarding to the Center of the 2009-2011 contract for Community Care for the Elderly, Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative, and Home Care for the Elderly in Southern Palm Beach County, beginning July 1, 2009. The Center previously served as lead agency from the mid - 1970s until September 2006.

Elizabeth Lugo, Center President/CEO, acknowledged the award saying, “We are overjoyed to regain the position of lead agency and look forward to renewing our relationships with the many seniors and family caregivers we worked with for so many years. The loss of the grants in 2006 was a traumatic experience for the Center. Many of the elders who were transferred to another provider for this brief period were like family, and those of us who remained at the Center felt a real personal loss.”

The Center’s mission is to enhance the well-being of South Florida Seniors, family caregivers, the disabled, and their families by educating and advocating on their behalf and by providing health care and supportive services that meet their physical, emotional, social and psychological needs. A major effort has been underway over the past several years to improve and enlarge its programming. Membership in the Center’s active senior program is now almost 660 and another 500+ individuals are active volunteers (including members of the Center’s new Advocacy volunteer group) or regularly attend the Center. In the past two years, the transportation program has been revamped and renamed “The Volen Community Coach”, to better reflect an increasing level of service to a broader segment of the community. In January 2009 the Center received national accreditation under the National Institute for Senior Centers.

Lugo noted that the number of community partners and friends of the Center has grown significantly in the past months. “When people need to rest, they take vacations. Organizations don’t get a chance to do that and the past two years have by no means been a vacation, but they have certainly been a time of renewal. We have expanded our community partnerships and connections throughout the region and the state. We are in a better position to advocate for the seniors and families we serve and for our colleagues in the service network Between now and July 1, the Center will be adding necessary staff and implementing an intensive training program for both current and new staff members. And, we look forward to working closely with the Area Agency on Aging to continue to advocate for seniors in our community and ensure that their needs are met."

Center Continues Expansion

In case you haven’t noticed, the Volen Center is busier than ever and will be getting even busier as the year goes by.

One of the most obvious changes is in how many new people are attending the Center and how many members we have. Over 1,000 people regularly attend the Center, and 747 of them are members. We give about 100 tours a month, and about 25 of the 50+ year olds who tour join. Some time during the first quarter of 2010, Center membership will reach 1,000 plus.

On January 4, 2010, the Schmidt Family YMCA Child Development Center at Mae Volen will finally open. On July 1, the Center returned to the role of lead agency in southern Palm Beach County. A lead agency is an organization chosen through competitive bid by an Area Agency on Aging, a division of the state’s Department of Elder Affairs, to support the distribution of funds through programs like Community Care for the Elderly and the Older American’s Act. Regaining this role required the Center to expand staff and further increase its outreach into the community.

Also on July 1, the Center took over management of the Adolph & Rose Levis Alzheimer and Adult Day Care Center, which is located on the campus of the Jewish Community Center. This spacious, comfortable day care site provides space for 46 individuals and offers a kosher-only meal service.

Finally, the Center is expanding its programming to incorporate special events for Holocaust survivors, outreach to the gay and lesbian community, and many other offerings to better serve the community. Take a look at the Volen Center Quick Reference Guide that follows – and keep the Guide handy. You never know when you or a friend may need it.

Child Development Center at the Center

January 4, 2010, marked the opening day of the Center’s long-awaited child development center. The Schmidt Family YMCA Child Development Center at Mae Volen opened its doors bright and early to its first students.

Provided through a partnership between the Peter Blum YMCA of Boca Raton and the Volen Center, the Child Development Center will be directed by Beth Reyer, Child Development Director, and provide a diverse, child-directed curriculum based on the Reggio Emilia model. This innovative model encourages exploration, creativity, and self expression. The children themselves guide the learning experiences through their interests. With the support of specially trained staff, activities support healthy social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development in a nurturing environment that is responsive to each child’s need. 

The beautifully equipped classroom and action-oriented playground offer young children an endless variety of learning opportunities. The children will enjoy everything from unique projects they manage themselves to toys to recycling projects to active play in the colorful space housed in the Volen Center’s Ruth and Baron Coleman Pavilion.

Seniors who attend the Volen Center will be invited to participate as volunteer aides and mentors for the children. Senior mentors will assist regular staff and also work with staff to develop special mentoring units based on their life experiences and skills, such as programs on the significance of the 4th of July, the senior’s hobbies such as toy collecting, and gardening.

The child development center will provide 3- to 5-year-olds with general child care and voluntary pre-kindergarten (VPK) services; maximum enrollment is 28 children. Fees for the general program are $650 per month for YMCA Family Members and $760 per month for nonmembers. Fees for the  Extended Care program will be $430 for YMCA Family Members and $550 for nonmembers.

For more information on the program or to enroll your child or grandchild, call Beth Reyer, Child Development Director, at 561-395-8920, ext. 296.

Volen Emergency Fund for Seniors Discontinued

October 18, 2010, Boca Raton, Florida. The Volen Center wishes to announce that the Volen Emergency Fund for Seniors has been discontinued. The donor supporting the fund has decided to allocate his donation for other purposes at the Center. No further applications will be accepted. This change is effective immediately.