Seniors Connect for Programs, Games

By SARAH ROBERTS
COOPERSTOWN

Connections at Clark Sports Center is a program run by the Otsego County Council of Senior Citizens, the mission of which is “to advocate for, develop and engage Otsego County seniors in activities that offer opportunities to improve the quality of their lives.”

Cooperstown resident Carole Lachance founded the Cooperstown Senior Community Center in 2019, behind St. Mary’s Catholic Church. For three years—and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with safety measures in place—the CSCC provided social activities for seniors at that location. In early 2022, the CSCC partnered with the Clark Sports Center and rebranded as Connections at Clark Sports Center, allowing for greater programming opportunities and increased hours of operation.

“As my more mature friends aged, I saw they changed not only physically, but emotionally. They felt more lonely, more isolated from their community, and their spark for life wasn’t so bright,” recalled Lachance, director of Connections and a member of the OCCSC Board of Directors.

“It wasn’t that their minds lacked humor, insight or great ideas, but physically their bodies had changed in ways that limited their ability to do what they once could,” she continued. “Some could no longer drive, so their sense of independence was affected…Some did not have family members close enough to help bring them to medical appointments, or to the store for necessary items.

“There was no local place for our older adults to go to spend time with others their age. Though the age of the adult population in Cooperstown and Otsego County is heavy on the older-than-50, I found the focus for events in Cooperstown and other areas to be on young adults and family,” Lachance said.

The goal of Connections is to minimize the risk of social isolation for the area’s aging population. Organizers work toward this goal by providing programming twice a week from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays at the sports center, most of which is free with membership. Lunch is also provided, at a suggested cost of $3.00.

Activities and programs are volunteer-led and include exercise, tech support, a writers’ group, games, painting classes, genealogy research, and American Sign Language classes. Connections also partners with other local organizations and groups—such as the Village Library of Cooperstown, The Smithy Clay Studio, and Cornell Cooperative Extension—on a monthly basis. Speakers from Fenimore Art Museum, the Bassett Research Institute, Homeland Security and the League of Women Voters, among other organizations, also give talks, and “aging well” information is shared on topics including estate planning and self-advocacy.

Connections at CSC averages 58 participants a meeting, and has a total of 410 people on its e-mail list, according to Lachance.

Among the many activities offered are: Mondays—cribbage from 10:15 a.m. to noon, aqua fitness from 12:15-1 p.m., and games from 12:15-2:30 p.m.; Thursdays— games from 12:15-2:30 p.m.; American Sign Language classes from 12:30-2:45 p.m., and senior pickleball from 1:45-12:45 p.m. Annual social events include a senior picnic at Glimmerglass State Park and Blizzard Bingo during the Cooperstown Winter Carnival.

Special programs are held each month in addition to the weekly classes. Further details on these additional classes, programs, and events can be found at www.coopconnections.net.

Connections is included with a Clark Sports Center membership, or a standalone Connections at CSC membership is available for an annual fee of $25.00.

Those with questions can reach Connections at CSC at connectionsatcsc@gmail.com.