Bolton Senior Center

Prime Time: Online
Wednesday, November 25th, 2020
Keep In Touch! (860) 647-9196

Director: Carrie Concatelli, MSW


Administrative Assistants: Karen Frost & Pam Wentworth


Program Coordinator: Stephanie Crane

Dear Senior Center Friends,
This year has really taught us the value of friends and family. We see how we took for granted such simple gestures - like being able to meet up for a cup of coffee or a card game or giving a hug to comfort a friend or cuddle a grandchild. Many people will be spending this holiday alone or are missing loved ones who are far away, so I understand how it can be hard to feel thankful right now. I am feeling a great sense of loss as well. But I look at the Senior Center community and the larger town community and I am very thankful. We live in a beautiful place where we are safe. We have generous neighbors who are looking out for each other – I am often hearing about random acts of kindness! We have proved again and again that we can be strong in a very difficult time. 
I am thankful for all of you and I sincerely wish you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving. Stay healthy - and enjoy the pie!

Stay Safe,
Carrie
The Bolton Senior Center building remains closed to the public. 
  • Drop-off or pick-up items Tuesday and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. only.
  • The Food Pantry is available for pick-up and delivery: please call ahead.
  • Transportation is available: please call ahead. 
  • Need delivery from Bentley Library? Tell Library staff when reserving your items.
  •  Borrow books or puzzles from the Senior Center! Call for more info.
  • Free Zumba for seniors every Monday at 5:30 pm: email mrle99us@gmail.com
  • Water Available!  Plan ahead – Call us if you need some water to keep on hand!
Medicare Open Enrollment is going on until December 7th! 
To compare plans, go to Medicare.gov and use the plan finder. For more personalized recommendations, create an account and enter your own medications and preferred pharmacies to find out an estimate of cost. 
You will automatically remain in your current plan unless you enroll in a new provider. 
If you have questions, feel free to call 860-647-9196 to schedule a time to speak to the Director of Senior and Social Services.

Energy Assistance is help paying for oil, propane, natural gas, pellets or electricity. All appointments will be conducted over the phone through ACCESS Community Access Agency at 860-450-7400. 
All Eversource customers are eligible for budget billing. Call 1-800-286-2828 to arrange.
For more information or for assistance, call Bolton Social Services at 860-647-9196.
Free Yarn!
Looking for yarn for your next crafting project? Lynn has brought in a large collection of yarn that will be at the senior center if you would like to sift through! Call the office at 860-647-9196 if you are interested! 
Senior Shout Outs!
Happy thanksgiving to my friends at the senior center. - John Curtin 
 
The Bolton Social Services Department and St. Maurice Church continue our longstanding tradition of collaborating to bring holiday cheer to our neighbors in need. This year we have some changes to our program to ensure the safety of all participants. We are offering many contact-less ways to help. Masks and social distancing practices are required. 

Food Donations

  • Bolton Senior Center. Drop off Tuesdays and Thursdays 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. or call 860-647-9196 to make other arrangements. Ring the doorbell upon arrival.
  •  Bentley Memorial Library. Drop off during all open Library hours. Call 860-646-7349 to tell them you are coming and ring the doorbell upon arrival.
  • St. Maurice Church. Drop off at the church or parish center any time through December 19. Volunteers check the premises daily.

Giving Tree Gifts

  • Bolton Senior Center. Pick up ornaments and/or drop off unwrapped gifts with the ornament attached on Tuesdays and Thursdays 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., or call 860-647-9196 for other arrangements. Ring the doorbell upon arrival.
  • Bentley Memorial Library. Pick up ornaments and/or drop off unwrapped gifts with the ornament attached during all open Library hours. Call 860-646-7349 to tell them you are coming and ring the doorbell upon arrival.
  • St. Maurice Church. A giving tree of bells is outside the parish center. Return unwrapped gifts with the bell attached. New warm clothing or fleece blankets are always welcome. 
  • New this year – Bolton Social Services Department has an Amazon Wish list. Shop online at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/13HJG3Y8N88UB?ref_=wl_share
Don’t want to shop? Monetary donations will be accepted. 
Checks may be paid to the order of St. Maurice Church with “seasonal sharing” in the memo line and mailed to 32 Hebron Road. Or donations to the Resident Assistance Fund may be mailed to 104 Notch Road.
Deliver gifts to one of these locations by the week of December 6-13.

Thank you for your generosity!

When: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:30 am on Zoom!
Cost: $5 a session
How to pay/ Book a class:
·        Go to vagaro.com/yogawithlisa to make an account and then book classes there.
·        You will get an email with a link to click on to join the class so there are no Zoom meeting IDs or passwords to enter.
Facebook also has all of her past classes archived and available for rewatch under the “Videos” tab on Yoga with Lisa: https://www.facebook.com/yogawithlisact
Lisa’s Email: lisagaumond@gmail.com
The letters from the kids have arrived! We put them in the mail last week, so hopefully you have already received it! Please mail it back to the Senior Center once you write your response!
Do you decorate the outside of your house for the holidays? Let the Recreation Department know by Thursday, December 3 and you can be listed on our map to join in the Holiday Light Tour around town! Join us in giving the families in our community the chance to see your outdoor holiday lights and vote for their favorite! To be listed on our map go to boltonrec.recdesk.com to register your house. Maps will be available to the public on the Town website Monday December 7th, 2020. Voting will be done online only with a link listed on the map!
Join the Bolton Recreation Department by tuning in to Community Voice Channel at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday December 5 to be a part of our annual tree lighting. Since we cannot be together in person, we will bring the annual event to your screens at home. Warm up hot cocoa, make yourself a snack and help Santa count down to the lighting of the tree. The gazebo will continue to be lit up for the entire month of December.
Please note: in person attendance is not permitted at this event.
Virtual Bingo
When: Thursday, December 3rd Time: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Where: over Zoom!

Register by Monday, November 30

No computer? No worries- you can also call in with a telephone number. :)
Email Stephanie at scrane@boltonct.org or call us at 860-647-9196 and we will arrange a contactless pick up or delivery to bring a stack of printed bingo cards to you, and we will email you the Zoom invite for the game! 

If you are not sure how to use Zoom, shoot Stephanie an email or give us a call at 860-647-9196, to arrange a time to help you set up Zoom and practice with you so you feel more comfortable!
Free AARP Events

Clean Food Cooking with Terry Walters – A 2-Part Series
12/2/20 @ 7PM: Clean Food Holiday Gift Making: Terry will showcase gifts of good health. This class will cover everything from one-dish casseroles fitting for family meals or holiday celebrations, to super-food dark chocolate bark, and homemade vanilla extract. In the name of self-care, you may be hard pressed to share these holidays’ home-made gems. All of Terry’s recipes will function equally well as templates for infinite variation. Registration: https://aarp.cvent.com/Clean2  

AARP CT Webinar Wednesday: Creating Virtual Connections w/ Gary Ware! 
Join Gary, Creative Catalyst from Breakthrough Play as he offers ways to use your imagination and creativity to make your winter and holiday fun and creative for the whole family!
December 9, 2020 @ 1PM Registration: https://aarp.cvent.com/GaryWWDec9

AARP CT Webinar Wednesday: Caregiver Roadshow for CT Families Take a journey through the experiences of family caregivers, the backbone of our health care system. Learn about support for caregivers and care recipients, as well as choices to live safely and independently. Learn to navigate and connect to resources to gain an understanding of care options and costs. 
December 16, 2020 @ 7PM  Registration: https://aarp.cvent.com/WWCareDec16
When: December 18th, 2020
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m

This event will feature VIP greetings from around the state, holiday music, performances, entertainment and more!

The Holiday Bash is a webinar on Zoom. The webinar format means they will be able to watch and listen to the entertainment but will not be on video or be able to be heard. You will use the registration link (click either of the links listed below) and register yourself. Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email with the webinar link. 
Light Laughter With Lynn

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the last Thursday in November, and has been celebrated in the United States since 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared it a national Holiday. This day was to commemorate the day in 1621 that the Plymouth colonists shared an autumn feast with the Wampanoag tribe. The colonists actually lived in harmony with the Wampanoag for about 50 years. Their relationship started when Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe, was introduced to the settlers. He taught them how to cultivate the land, and fish and hunt, in exchange for an alliance with the Wampanoag tribe. After the colonist’s first corn harvest was successful that November, they organized a feast to celebrate and give thanks, and invited the tribe to join them- including the chief, Massasoit. This day is taught as a day of great peace and thanksgiving, and as a “first” Thanksgiving feast in the new world.

What fails to be taught in school is the Wampanoag side of the story. What is rarely mentioned, is that the Wampanoag didn’t live in harmony with them just because they wanted to – it was really to have an alliance so they wouldn’t be so vulnerable to attacks from other Native tribes. Fifty years into their alliance it all fell apart and resulted in the King Phillip’s war, when the Wampanoag tribe realized that the colonists were taking their land as their own instead of sharing it.

Thanksgiving now is a holiday and a tradition, and a time for people to get together with family and celebrate giving thanks and all that we have. This is a joyous holiday (though celebrations will be different this year), and it is something many people enjoy.

Stay safe this Thanksgiving!

-The Bolton Senior & Social Services Staff