COLLIER COUNTY’S FIRST SENIOR CENTER TO CELEBRATE NEW NAME, FIRST BIRTHDAY WITH COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE

Party to include tours of new expansion, member art exhibition and future plans announcement

JFCS CEO Dr. Jaclynn Faffer

(March 10, 2015 – Naples, FL)  There will be more than one candle on the cake for the first birthday celebration of Collier County’s first Senior Center when the party starts later this month.   This special celebration will honor the 550 Collier County seniors who now have a place to gather and call home during the weekdays.

When the Naples Senior Center, a program of JFCS, opened its doors one year ago, it was the first such center in Collier County. It has filled an overwhelming need and created a place where senior citizens can find activities, services and friendships to take the place of isolation and loneliness. In one short year, it has grown to more than 550 members.

To celebrate, the Center will host an open house and first birthday party on Thursday, March 31, from 4-6 p.m., treating guests to refreshments, an art exhibit of drawings and paintings by members, tours of its new expansion and announcements of future plans.  The event will include a re-naming ceremony for the Center, formerly known as the JFCS Senior Center. The community is invited to attend the open house.

The Naples Senior Center, at 5025 Castello Drive, provides a myriad of services and resources for seniors, including a weekly hot lunch, art classes, computer skills training, cards and Mah Jong, tai chi, movies, discussion groups, the Dakim brain fitness program and much more.

“We are so pleased that the community has supported and embraced the Naples Senior Center with such enthusiasm,” said Dr. Jaclynn Faffer, President and CEO of the JFCS of Southwest Florida. “We knew the need was great to have a place in Southwest Florida where seniors could gather for a multitude of reasons.”

The party will also celebrate the naming of the Naples Senior Center’s Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Café. The new name of the café, which is open every day for coffee, tea, cold drinks and snacks, honors of the foundation for its generous $150,000 challenge grant to JFCS.

The grant, matched by other donors in less than five weeks, will fund the expansion of the Senior Center by an additional 6,800 square feet, allowing it to enhance services. Tours of the expansion, already in progress, will be given during the party.

In addition to its many services for members, the Naples Senior Center and JFCS also host numerous community outreach programs. In February, a seminar by F. Warren McFarlan, co-author of Joining a Non-Profit Board: What You Need to Know, used the Harvard case method to give local non-profit CEOs and board members important resources for managing the CEO-board relationship.

On March 10, Dr. Marc Agronin, board-certified adult and geriatric psychiatrist and the Medical Director for Mental Health and Clinical Research at Miami Jewish Health Systems, will lead a seminar on the latest and best practices for diagnosing and treating dementia, as well as skills for family members and others caring for those with disease. The two-part seminar features a morning session for health care professionals and an afternoon session for family members and other caregivers.

JFCS of Southwest Florida empowers individuals and families by giving them tools to address life’s challenges.  JFCS is a non-sectarian human service agency providing a wide range of social services, including mental health counseling, case management, financial assistance and crisis intervention to the entire community. To RSVP for the birthday party, please call 239-325-4444 or email Michelle Mendoza at mmendoza@jfcsswfl.org For more information about JFCS, please visit  www.jfcsswfl.org.