Bolton Senior Center
Primetime Online
November & December 2021
Monday – Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
860-647-9196 


Director: Carrie Concatelli, MSW


Administrative Assistants: Karen Frost & Pam Wentworth


Program Coordinator: Stephanie Crane
Directors Note

Dear Senior Center Friends,

Thank you all for your wonderful well wishes for the birth of my daughter. She is a sweet, happy girl and we enjoy every second with her. Her early arrival meant that I only ended up being here the first few days of our reopening. Then the past few months passed very quickly in a bit of a blur! However, I wasn’t worried because I knew all of you were in good hands with the Senior & Social Services staff. Thank you Karen, Pam, Stephanie, Bruce, Cheryl and Ralph for all of your help! 

It has been great to come back to see all of you. I look forward to celebrating the upcoming holiday season with you. We all wish for a very healthy and happy 2022!

My best to all of you and your families!

Carrie
Senior Center Status

The Town of Bolton is requiring all visitors wear a mask in the building.
 
All areas of the building are accessible for our regularly scheduled activities and any other visits or use of materials such as the puzzle, computers, etc. 
  • Transportation - Call to schedule in advance; subject to availability.
  • Food Pantry Mon/Wed/Thurs. 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. or by appointment.
 
Reminder: All visitors are required to sign in at the front door.
If you need help, please ask a staff member!

  • Enter your phone number on the screen next to the front door.
  • Select the reason for your visit (or more than one!) and hit save.
  •  In addition to daily events, you can choose from additional options:
Just Visiting, Puzzle, Food Pantry or Social Services.

Please check WFSB and NBC 30 for updated information about any closures due to inclement weather. If the Senior Center is closed all transportation is cancelled.

All Town Offices will be closed on the following dates in honor of the holidays: Thursday, November 11, Thursday November 25, Friday, November 26, Friday, December 24, and Friday, December 31. The Senior Center will be closed at 11 a.m. on December 9 for the Senior Center Holiday Party (see Special Events).


Chair Yoga will not be held the week of November 15 through November 19.

While all groups are happy to welcome new participants, the Poker Players are looking for additional players. Call to find out more about any of our card games.

We have two very distinct issues that are both putting a damper on our otherwise robust transportation program. 
 
The first is we continue to post help wanted advertisements for additional Van Drivers. This position requires a CDL. If you or anyone you know is interested, please submit a job application, which is available on the Town Website or through the Selectmen’s office. In the meantime, please be sure to contact us with ride appointments in advance so we can try to accommodate them as best we can.
 
The second issue is we are currently waiting for additional parts for a large repair to our 20 passenger van. Since the timetable of this repair is uncertain, we cannot plan several events at the moment. We apologize for this inconvenience. 
 

Thank you to Ruth Hoffman and Seniors Inc. who gave us the beautiful yellow mums to enjoy this fall! It was a ray of sunshine.

We lost a friend of the Senior Center, Ed Bachl. Years ago, Ed and his wife planned many of the Bolton Seniors Inc. trips. Most recently, Ed was a regular fixture at the Tuesday poker games and was known for his kindness and good humor. We appreciate his longtime dedication to the Senior Center and our thoughts are with his family.
In Celebration of the Puzzle Group

The Puzzle Group is mainly comprised of Rudy Coralli, June Thompson and Joan Spera, with many other visitors. They are always busy in the Senior Center Library working on a variety of jigsaw puzzles. Well they accomplished the impossible – they finished the 5000 piece puzzle, measuring 3.5 x 5 feet! 

As many of you know, this puzzle began with gusto on January 2, 2020. Their goal was to see how long it would take them to complete it. There were many guesses, from taking a few months to taking a year or more to complete. Little did we know, a pandemic would get in their way! They had to pause like all of us on Friday, March 13, 2020. We didn’t give up hope and kept their progress intact. Well, we are proud to say the puzzle was completed Friday, October 15, 2021. They did not work on it every day but this overall period of time represents 113 days that the Senior Center was open. We would guess they completed the entire puzzle in under 100 days of time, which is truly remarkable. Bravo and much congratulations to the Puzzle Group! You have amazing persistence and teamwork.

We also know we have many other puzzle enthusiasts in town as we loaned out quite a few and when they returned our shelves completely overflowed. We continue to loan out any puzzles you would like to try at home. There is no time limit to borrowing and we highly suggest it as a great wintertime (or anytime) activity. Even better, join in any time in the Senior Center Library – the more the merrier.
Regularly Scheduled Activities

Chair Yoga
   Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m.
Set Back
Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m.
 
Poker
Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12:00 p.m.

Quilting
Fridays at 11:00 a.m.

Dominoes
Mondays at 1:00 p.m.

Mah Jongg
Tuesdays at 12:00 p.m.

Bridge
1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month
 
 
All regularly scheduled programs do not require advance reservation.


Meetings

Seniors Inc. Meeting – Wednesday, November 10 at 11 a.m.
Senior Commission Meeting – Tuesday, December 7 at 1 p.m.

Foot Care

Foot Care appointments with our Foot Care Nurse Karen are scheduled the fourth Tuesday of the month unless otherwise specified. The charge is $30 per appointment. Please add your name to the waitlist if you are interested in this popular service.

RSVPs are Critical

Please remember that ALL Special Events require reservation. We need to have accurate head counts for room selection, seating and/or food selection. Some of our events have minimum or maximum participation limits and we need to know if we can offer a spot to another individual.

Why do we list a deadline? We either need to know if we have enough people by that date to know we can hold the event or we may need to contact a vendor to make an order. If you RSVP late, there may still be a spot, but it increases the chance that we made the decision to cancel because we thought we don’t have interest in the activity. If we don’t know your intention to participate, we would also have no way to contact you in the event of a cancellation. We don’t want you to arrive here and be disappointed by a change in the calendar.

How do you make a reservation? Either call 860-647-9196, email seniorservices@boltonct.org or speak to a staff member while visiting the Senior Center. Thank you for your assistance!

Virtual Event
Join a cooking class right in your kitchen with Shoprite Nutritionist Sarabeth on Saturday, November 6 at 10 a.m. Watch or follow along to make some yummy pumpkin recipes. FREE. Registration required with Bolton Recreation Department at https://boltonrec.recdesk.com to receive the virtual class information. This program is brought to you by Bolton Recreation Department, Bolton Senior Center and Bentley Memorial Library. The following ingredients are needed for the recipes. 

Pumpkin Pie Parfait:
· 4 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
· 4 oz (1/2 cup) Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla)
· 1 cup pumpkin puree
· 3 TBS maple syrup
· 1 tsp vanilla extract
· ½ tsp ground cinnamon
· ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
· Whole grain graham crackers
 
 
Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites:
· 1 ¾ cup oat flour
· ¼ cup coconut flour
· 2 TBS sugar
· 1 TBS pumpkin pie spice
· ¾ cup pumpkin puree
· 1 tsp vanilla
· ¼ cup almond butter
· ¼ cup honey
· ½ cup white chocolate chips
Special Events
COVID Guidelines are ever changing and we will continue following all recommended guidelines from the state, OEC, CDC, and the health district. This will include, however may not be limited to, mask wearing, social distancing, screenings at drop off and more. Masks will be required for all programs and events.
 
****Any programs and all facilities may close with or without notice depending on COVID infection rates and community transmission****
We will gather to honor our Veterans on Thursday, November 18. Lunch will be served at 12 p.m., followed by a program featuring guest speaker Gerry Wright. The luncheon is sponsored by Seniors Inc. RSVP required by Friday, November 10. All are welcome but please specify if you served in the armed forces.

Join us as we decorate the Senior Center on Wednesday, December 1 at 11 a.m. to brighten the rooms with various trimmings. For your volunteer efforts, a small lunch will be provided. RSVP by Wednesday, November 24.

Get in the game on Thursday, December 2 at 1 p.m. $1 per BINGO card, use that card to play for multiple rounds. There is a 10 person minimum on this event. RSVP by Monday, November 29.

“December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy.” –FDR. As we mark the 80th Anniversary of a historical day, let’s learn more about what happened and how it impacted world events. A few people may even have memories of that day. Join us for guest speaker MaryAnn Handley on Tuesday, December 7 at 10:30 a.m. RSVP required by Thursday, December 2.

You are invited to the annual Holiday Party on Thursday, December 9. Join us at A Villa Louisa for a delicious lunch. Cost per person is $25. This event is sponsored by Seniors Inc. All reservations and payment must be received by Tuesday, November 30. Transportation is limited. For those joining us there, A Villa Louisa is located at 60 Villa Louisa Road Bolton.
 
Please note: All Special Events Require Registration.
Call 860-647-9196 or RSVP with Office Staff.
Bolton Seniors Inc. is a 501c3 Non-Profit Group that pre-dates the Bolton Senior Center. The Seniors Inc. Board is looking for additional members! 
Interested? Attend a board meeting and learn more about how you can get involved.
 
What does Senior Inc. do?
Seniors Inc. plans many events and participates in other charitable causes.
Examples of some of their activities:
·        Provide an annual scholarship for a graduating high school senior.
·        Assist with set-up, serving and clean-up at luncheons.
·        Plan and provide lunch for Veterans Day.
·        Distribute Thanksgiving baskets (bread and fruit) to homebound seniors.
·        Sponsor holiday luncheon to off-set full cost.
·        Applied for Hartford Foundation for Public Giving Community Grants.
 
Who can join?
Anyone! You do NOT need to be a Bolton resident.
 
What is the level of involvement?
Attend one board meeting a month and volunteer for events when you can!
Veterans Day Donations

For the month of November, Seniors Inc. is collecting coins for the Eastern CT Veterans Community Center in Willimantic. Look for the yellow coin spinner in the Senior Center.

The Community Center’s mission is “to support veterans and our military families and to advocate for their interests while providing them a safe, positive environment to meet, learn and grow.” They honor veterans through memorials and advocacy and offer many programs related to health and wellness, food distribution, employment, business creation, transition to civilian life, and benefit application assistance. One unique feature is a weekly coffee house on Wednesdays from 9 to 11 a.m. that is open to all veterans. To learn more, visit windhamchamber.com or call 860-428-7739.

Need help paying for your heating and/or electric bills? Bolton residents may apply for the Energy Assistance Program through ACCESS Community Action Agency. Applications can be completed on the phone, in person, or by mail. Call ACCESS at 860-450-7400 to schedule an appointment. Mail in applications are available at the Senior Center.

NEW this year!
  • No asset limits. Energy amount is based on income only.
  • Renters with heat included in the rent are eligible with a lease and rent receipt.
Let’s take the time to pause and be thankful for all we have. However you celebrate, may this holiday season bring you joy… and may an extra slice of pie brighten your day.  
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Bolton Senior Center November & December Calendars

Check out our calendar of events!