Update: July 6, 2021
The Northampton Senior Center will have a Soft-Reopening starting August 2, 2021. We will be open 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. for the month of August, while we hire and train new staff and plan for activities coming back in September and beyond.
Everyone will be required to update their membership before returning to the center!!
Membership Renewals: An essential part of our process for welcoming you back to the building will include updating your membership information, emergency contact info, obtaining waivers and registering you for the online portal called My Active Center which will allow you to sign up and pay for classes anytime (online). This process will need to be completed before you can start using the center's facilities or attending any programs. It will be quick we promise! Appointments will be available from 8:00-2:00 starting August 2nd. Please email seniorservices@northamptonma.gov or for an appointment, call 587-1228, option 4.
Activities available in August: We are planning to have the Coffee Shop and/or a coffee station available, help with social services (by appointment), access to the internet and the ability to check out iPads and Chromebooks for use on-site. The lobby, the Game Room and some other spaces for socializing will be made available. Please read on for information about use of the Fitness Center. As of this writing in early July, there is still much to determine about what we will be able to offer in addition to these things so other details about offerings will be announced later in July as well as throughout August.
Programs and what to expect: Please know that while we want to bring back many of the programs we had in the past, we also respect and understand that a great deal has changed due to COVID-19. We are making determinations and doing our best to make adjustments where possible. This may also mean that programs that were in place pre-pandemic will not necessarily start up again right away. We are working with instructors now to determine which classes will be onsite and which classes may continue to be offered on zoom. We anticipate that the scaling up of services and programs will take awhile and this will be determined by many factors including how we schedule our rooms for various uses to serve the most people, etc.
Fitness Programs Participation: In order to be a member of the Fitness Center and/or to attend fitness classes: you will need to fill out the Fitness Membership Packet or the Fitness Class Health Questionnaire Form. Both of these include waivers and need to be signed by your doctor. Without this clearance to participate, you will not be able to attend fitness programs or use the fitness room until we have this paperwork, found here. We encourage you to begin this process soon. Once we have your paperwork, an orientation session will be scheduled. An orientation is required to ensure you know how to safely use the machines.
Volunteer Opportunities: There will be many ways to volunteer at the center and we always have a variety of ways to help out and various levels of options for time commitments. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or have volunteered in the past and want to return, we will be glad to receive your application. Our new Assistant Director, Janet Yurko, will need to meet with you to complete the screening process and to discuss various options. We will be onboarding new volunteers as we are able to train them and begin operations of the various activities or programs volunteers are placed. Placement examples are: Coffee Shop Crew, Dining Room Crew, Technology Tutors, Workshop Instructors, Gardening Crew, Movie Committee, Decorating Committee, Rainbow Luncheon Activities Committee, Chronicle Writers Crew, Brown Bag Program, Greeters and Ambassadors which are new roles we are introducing. You can find the Volunteer Application paperwork here.
