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, Alzheimers 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 Centers 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 Centers active senior program is now almost 660 and another 500+ individuals are active volunteers (including members of the Centers 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 dont 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.”
