Fifty Something News
California Parks and Recreation Society Aging Services and Activities Section
Hello Aging Section Members, As we enter summer many of our sites have reopened and we find ourselves busier than ever. I want to thank all of you for the amazing work you have done throughout the last two years during Covid-19 to continue to provide services for older adults in your area and to keep them engaged with new and unique programs and activities. Your Aging Section Board held its annual retreat May 12 and we agreed that we all want to make a concerted effort to connect with you throughout this year by offering relevant trainings and by bringing back the Engaging conversations on a quarterly basis. Our theme this year will be Aged to Perfection! As a board we hope to provide you with support and resources to help you achieve your career goals within aging services. For many of us over the last few years we have been challenged to develop new ways to provide services to an aging population, while maintaining the health and safety of our staff, and now find ourselves doing the same as we reopen. I ask that everyone continues to take time to connect with other agencies and Aging Section members to discuss how we are all handling these new and challenging times. As your Aging Section President, I would like to challenge you to help us become better together. You can sign up to facilitate an EngAGING Conversation, sign up to be on a committee, or get involved at your local level and together we can see how much more we can offer to our Aging Services Section. Sincerely,
Steve Cox, Aging Section President scox@sanramon.ca.gov 925-973-3207
cprs.org
TRAINING • EDUCATION • NETWORKING • PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
Upcoming Programs
cprs.org
TRAINING • EDUCATION • NETWORKING • PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
Lifetime Achievement Awards Mary Tessier
As the Supervisor of the San Bruno Senior Center, Mary oversees all the programs that take place there, from sports leagues (bocce and softball), enrichment and fitness classes, the senior nutrition program, special events, the senior transportation program, support to the Senior Advisory Committee and volunteer management. She has poured her heart and soul into the Senior Center over the last 23 years. Mary has a Recreation Therapy background and translated her work to Seniors by creating high quality and engaging fitness programs to keep them moving. She has mentored many Coordinators who have worked in the building, many of whom did not have previous experience working with seniors. Seniors in San Bruno know that they can rely on Mary to provide for them as a professional, a programmer and a friend. She takes great care to keep the quality of programming high and prioritizes the needs of the seniors. She goes out of her way to annually acknowledge the volunteers that support the programs, but rarely receives accolades herself. The empathy and integrity she puts into her work is highly commendable. Mary Tessier has been an Aging Section member with CPRS for many years. She often attends the Aging Section intensive to keep her skills sharp and connect with other professionals In San Bruno, she created a senior softball program, bocce league, pickleball drop-in program and fitness classes from the ground up. She also developed an annual “Step Out” event to promote walking among seniors and organizes a variety of trips and special events to keep seniors engaged. Throughout the pandemic, Mary oversaw home delivered meals and resumed in-person programming as she was able to safely.
Margaret Hamer
Margaret has advocated for important and innovative programming for seniors at the Carlsbad Senior Center from the moment she started working. Programming practically doubled after she took over. No task was too daunting for her. She brought Intergenerational programs and partnerships to the city. She also pushed strongly for virtual programming during the COVID-19 pandemic so that the seniors of Carlsbad would not be isolated. She took on the everchanging notions of the past several years without hesitation ready to do what she could for seniors and her staff. Margaret manages the Carlsbad Senior Center as well as the Pine Avenue Community Center next door. Margaret had participated in multiple conferences and presented at the 2020 CPRS State conference.
cprs.org
TRAINING • EDUCATION • NETWORKING • PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
Get Involved
Join A Committee
Are you looking to get involved with the Aging Section? Serving on a committee is a great way to help provide valuable trainings and resources to Aging Services professionals:
Conference Committee:
Chair: Ben Dieterle | ben.dieterle@fountainvalley.org | (714) 593-4669 Time Commitment: Meeting once a month up until Conference The Conference Committee will identify and find aging specific educations sessions to be offered at conference, and can include committee members speaking at conference. In addition, they will create the schedule for tabling at the Aging Section table as well as selecting and ordering giveaways.
engAGING Conversations Committee:
Chair: Alejandra Hernandez | alejandra.hernandez@mountainview.gov | (650) 903-6442 Time Commitment: Meeting Four Times a Year The EngAGING Conversation Committee meets to provide Zoom meetings to discuss current events and relevant topics in the Senior Center community statewide. You will be selecting guest speakers or facilitating conversations based on specific topics either generated by requests or pre-assigned by a committee member.
Grant Committee:
Chair: Ben Dieterle | ben.dieterle@fountainvalley.org | (714) 593-4669 Time Commitment: Varies depending on grant requests The Grant Committee coordinates professional development grants for those working in the field to attend trainings or provide dues relief for membership. In addition, it assists for one (1) Aging Section Member to attend the annual CPRS Connections Conference.
Marketing Committee:
Co-Chair: Ben Dieterle | ben.dieterle@fountainvalley.org | (714) 593-4669 Co-Chair: Cheryl Galvez | cheryl.galvez@newark.org | (510) 578-4432 Time Commitment: Meeting once a month The Marketing Committee will assist with Aging Section’s flyers for events, social media, and e-newsletter. The committee is responsible for coming up with relevant content, presenting it in an engaging format, and communicating the various events, programs, and resources Aging section offers.
Engaging Stay Informed Monthly Board Meetings 2nd Wednesday of each Month 3:00 p.m. Want to know what is going on in the Aging Section? Join the Board of Directors for their monthly meeting to get updates on the latest across the state. Agendas will be emailed out prior to each meeting. Miss a meeting? You can find the monthly minutes on the Aging Section website. Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month at 3 p.m. utilizing ZOOM video conferencing. There are three easy ways to join: 1. Open ZOOM on your computer, tablet, or phone. 2. Go directly to zoom.us/j/81963278875 3. Call by dialing (669) 900-6833 Meeting ID: 819 6327 8875 Password: Zoom2022
Learn about upcoming trainings, innovative programs, important resources, and the latest CPRS news. Help showcase how amazing Senior Services is. Send photos of your programs to Cheryl Galvez at cheryl.galvez@newark.org.
cprs.org
TRAINING • EDUCATION • NETWORKING • PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
Your Aging Section Board Aging Section Board President Steve Cox City of San Ramon scox@sanramon.ca.gov 925-973-3207 President-Elect Mike McAdam Conejo Rec. & Park District mmcadam@crpd.org 805- 381-2744 Vice-President Ben Dieterle City of Fountain Valley ben.dieterle@fountainvalley.org 714-593-4446 x219
Region 1 Representative Amanda Chaney City of Brentwood achaney@brentwoodca.gov 925-516-5323 Region 2 Representative Alejandra Hernandez City of Mountain View alejandra.hernandez@ mountainview.gov 650-903-6442 Region 3 Representative Laura Rice City of Palmdale lrice@cityofpalmdale.org 661-267-5905 Region 4 Representative Cynthia Lemus
Treasurer Amanda Krause City of Whittier akrause@cityofwhittier.org 562-567-9473
Region 5 Representative Amber Castrey
Secretary Cheryl Galvez
City of Irvine acastrey@cityofirvine.org 949-724-6907
City of Newark cheryl.galvez@newark.org 510-578-4432
Aging Section Representative Tiarra Warner
Please contact your Aging Section Board of Directors for questions about CPRS, the section, or any aging services related topic.
cprs.org
City of Perris clemus@cityofperris.org 951-657-7334 ext. 267
City of Rohnert Park twarner@rpcity.org 949-724-6907
TRAINING • EDUCATION • NETWORKING • PROFESSIONAL GROWTH