Easton, Maryland, is called “the 8th Best Small Town in America”. It has a population of 16,500+ individuals who have access to large metropolitan areas like Baltimore, Annapolis, Washington, and Wilmington. The county is about 26% older adults. The center is in downtown Easton, a mixed neighborhood with residences and businesses.
Brookletts Place is a center for seniors to gather and socialize with each other. It provides an aspect of community engagement for individuals 60 or older through the Center’s facilities and various events throughout the year. Brookletts Place strives to continuously expand to provide even more for area seniors over and above its well-rounded menu of available services and resources.
The center provides opportunities for socializing, recreational fun, lifelong learning, and camaraderie among senior peers. The Center also provides a gateway for members to engage in various roles and carries a greater mission of serving a vulnerable part of the community.
The Center offers multiple classes, programs, and workshops year-round that are educational, recreational, and social in nature. As a non-profit organization, there is no fee to become a member; however, some classes require a minimal fee for the instructors and/or materials.
Jill Kranz and Childlene Brooks
The peer reviewer found the following strengths of the center:
– The center has developed a superior strategic plan, marketing plan and evaluation plan. The documents were developed with the help of a consultant and are working documents. Each is reviewed every three years in order to remain relevant.
– The center recently opened a satellite site in the next town about 10 miles away. The satellite center is housed in the new YMCA and has programming 3 days per week. The Brookletts Senior Center Manager was instrumental in the implementation of this program and the program is thriving by offering options for older adults right in their community.
– The facility features a beautiful outdoor rooftop garden and patio, where older adults can comfortably enjoy the outdoors.
– The Center enjoys many community partnerships and it is a focal point in the community., not only for older adults’ services but also for community groups who utilize the facility.
– A notable program is the G15 mapping of the entire county through the University of Maryland to discover who and where older adults are in the country. Targeting services and outreach to those areas will be very helpful as there is a lot of rural land in the county.
An advisory group member at Brookletts Place said “they were really proud of what we’ve accomplished.” Involve your community leaders in the accreditation process and increase their knowledge of all the great things you do through the national accreditation and the self-assessment process. Learn how the National Senior Center Standards and self-assessment process can help you achieve excellence at your center.
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