NORWICH – A volunteer senior citizens’ group charged, in part, with funding bus trips and other social activities for the elderly in Chenango County has found itself short on cash.
The Senior Citizen’s Council traditionally received between $12,000 to $15,000 per year from the Chenango County United Way and proceeded to pass it along to groups for the elderly, specifically for fostering socialization. It has not received support from the charity for two years, however.
The Council, formed in 1974, was officially incorporated in 1994 with representatives from the Chenango County Area Agency on Aging and Chenango County Board of Supervisors, among others. It later became the conduit by which the United Way dispersed its dollars to a number of senior citizen’s groups throughout the county.
Ross Iannello, a member and Town of New Berlin Supervisor, said recent methodology changes to the way the United Way currently awards its funds made the application process “more like writing for a grant.”
“We are a bunch of volunteer seniors who come together from throughout the county. The application didn’t work for us,” he said.
Iannello and Area Agency on Aging Director Debra Sanderson were on hand at a meeting of the Health and Human Services Committee Tuesday to explore new funding avenues. Committee Chairperson Jeffrey B. Blanchard asked Sanderson if funds were available within the agency’s budget. Area Agency on Aging’s 2007 budget specifies only $1,500 for recreation, she said.
Iannello said passing the funds through the agency “would be the way to do it, as long as it doesn’t hurt Deb’s budget.” He also suggested tapping into the county’s portion of Tobacco Settlement Funds or writing for state member items.
“It’d be a tough one to get it out of tax dollars. We need to exhaust every grant opportunity,” Blanchard said.
Sanderson said, “We’re not talking about a lot of money. Even small amounts for people make a difference. One group got $250 and they thought they were in heaven.”
“With the way it’s (the Council) structured, with no administration, 100 percent of the benefit gets out there,” Iannello said.
Supervisor James B. Bays, D-Smyrna, made a motion to apply a portion of the county’s Tobacco Settlement funds to the Council. In the past, the annually-allotted settlement funds of about $800,000 have been used to afford a variety of Chenango’s expenses, from farming out prisoners to purchasing data processing equipment.
“I feel so strongly about socialization for seniors. Many of us would agree that it is an important piece of what we should be doing for people,” he said.
Bays rescinded his motion, however, after Iannello said he would prefer to first research the various sources available and report back to the committee next month.
Through its own fundraising efforts, the Senior Citizen’s Council awards a scholarship annually to a SUNY Morrisville graduating nurse as well as supports various Area Agency on Aging’s programs.
The elderly population received $31,500 from the Chenango United Way in 2006. Among other groups, Opportunities for Chenango, Inc., the American Red Cross and 73 individuals senior households received financial assistance, according to Community Impact Co-Chair Karen Sastri.