Seniors Programming
Beginning in 2020, USR Cares expanded its stated mission to focus also on our senior community in Upper Saddle River in an effort to address loneliness and isolation in the growing segment of our neighborhood.
We deliver and proactively support programming, events and initiatives for the Upper Saddle River seniors community
Since December 2022 we have offered 43 separate programs which attracted more than 870 total attendees (growing from 5 in December 2022 to more than 40 routinely at our events in 2024). These include:
33 separate events at the library
20 Lunch before the USR Library’s Movie Screening events between December 1, 2022 through July 2024 growing this base from 5 to more than 40 attendees at each lunch over that time.
10 Third Thursday events providing mid-morning snacks and different speakers / activities between September 2023 and July 2024, growing attendance from 15 to more than 30 attendees on a routine basis.
3 Senior Saturdays at the Library (our newest program developed in collaboration with a student who created the programming in connection with her pursuit of a Girl Scout Gold Award. With our help and support, this student has developed monthly programming and has already delivered or set programming for May through October 2024. Our first session in May 2024 with Artytime - a paint and sip event - attracted 15 seniors and was well-received.
120 singles or couples have joined at least 1 of our events at the library since December 2022 and 20 have joined us more than 20 times at those events.
Other programs delivered for seniors include outings to plays and performances at Bergenstages at Bergen Community College, St. Joe’s, Northern Highlands, Pascack Valley high schools as well as the Lorimer Sanctuary.
Cheer Visits
Since 2020, USR Cares volunteers have developed lasting relationships and conducted nearly 1,000 cheer visits with 100+ seniors households. In 2024, we will conduct at least six separate visits which deliver cheer, serve as wellness checks and help us build neighborly spirit in meaningful ways.
For nearly five years USR Cares has increasingly focused on building enduring relationships with USR seniors. Our Cheer Visits serve as the foundation of this simple objective – to be good neighbors to members of this vital segment of our community. We now visit with more than 100 senior households on a bi-monthly basis each year and, in many cases, on a much more frequent basis.
Our goal is to brighten the day for our seniors, to address loneliness and isolation experienced by members of this community and to offer support where needed.
More than 20 volunteers participate in these visits, pairs of volunteers visit with the same 10-12 households throughout the year.
We receive overwhelmingly positive feedback from the seniors we visit with and from our volunteers themselves – it is a truly a wonderful feeling and beyond heartwarming to be part of this program.
