The Ridgewood Older Adult Center has started a GoFundMe campaign to help maintain its neighborhood program, which provides seniors with one of the few places offering exclusive services in Ridgewood.
Staffers at the long-time senior center say the cost of staying at the building, located on 59-14 70th Ave., is becoming too expensive and the funds they do receive, as part of the New York City Department of Aging, is not enough anymore.
The center hopes to receive $10,000 in its GoFundMe campaign to help continue offering hot meals and engaging social programs for Ridgewood seniors. The funds would also help the center make the move to a potential new location, according to Assistant Director Raizel Madriaga.
Stuck in a challenging financial situation, Madriaga says the city is limited in what it can offer seniors and there hasn’t been any increase in city funding for a while.
“We aren’t getting any more; we aren’t getting any less,” Madriaga says. “So we are very limited in what we can do, and that plays into part of what’s going on here at the center itself.”
An average day for the Ridgewood Older Adult Center hosts upwards of 20 to 30 seniors, who come to participate in the center’s popular Bingo days on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Other days of the week are focused on hosting specialty exercise programs and information sessions to keep seniors up-to-date on the latest technology.
The Ridgewood Older Adult Center also says its membership numbers declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, similar to other senior centers across the city.
Anyone looking for additional information regarding the center should call (718) 456-2000 or email ROAC5914@gmail.com. To donate to the ROAC GoFundME campaign click here.
