GWSA 2020-21 Annual Report

City of Guelph Senior Services Report
Hello Guelph Wellington Seniors Association members, friends and supporters.
It’s been a challenging year to say the least. Our lives, friendships, day to day activities and
opportunities to socialize and be part of community have changed dramatically. And like the way
we face most other challenges in our lives, we gather ourselves, adjust our priorities and
persevere. City of Guelph staff are proud to have adapted and persevered with you.
A year ago, I wrote to you during the early days of the pandemic and reflected on the silver
linings of some very difficult days. Today, I write you with a similar message, but also with
reflection on what we continue to accomplish and how we continue to support each other. The
importance of social interaction, supporting our most vulnerable friends, family and community
members and resiliency are more critical now than ever. To me, these lessons and values were
already foundational to the GWSA and the City’s Senior Services team, and one of the reasons
that I know we’ll get through this stronger than ever.
Over the past year, City of Guelph staff have been busy cleaning, updating, reimagining and, in
some cases, redesigning our spaces at the Evergreen Senior Community Centre. We’ve been
closed, but we’ve also been busy painting the entire building, refinishing our Auditorium and
Room 4 floors, converting all lights to high efficiency models, cleaning and replacing blinds and
drapes, and more. When you return to the Evergreen, you’ll also find a new layout to our Dining
Room with a focus on to-go snacks and take home meals (along with our traditional service);
we’ve added a new menu board and menu items, and will be adding some unique new spaces for
dining and socializing.
Our programming staff have also been busy creating new programs and opportunities in a
COVID-informed world. We’re adding several new outdoor opportunities (including a bicycling
program that we’re very excited about), we’ve adjusted our classes to create as many
opportunities as possible, and are excited to support the GWSA as the organization ventures into
the world of online and virtual programming opportunities.
Much of 2020/21 has been focused on COVID-related tasks, but it’s days like these that
demonstrate why the GWSA and Senior Services are so important to our community. We
continue to support, adapt, role model resiliency, take care of our friends and families, and
always, always look for those silver linings.
Thank you to all of our GWSA Members, Volunteers, Program Committee Leaders, and our
Board of Directors. After 12+ months in an empty Evergreen Centre, I’m sincerely looking
forward to future days with a full Evergreen Centre, a happy and healthy membership, many
opportunities to gather, laugh and share our stories, and a chance to build new and rekindle old
friendships.
Adam Rutherford – Program Manager Evergreen Seniors Centre
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