Senior Center Without Walls

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

The Burke-West Springfield Senior Center without Walls program was implemented to fill a gap in service for seniors in a specific community that did not have access to an existing brick and mortar senior center. In order to fill this gap, the Fairfax County Department of neighborhood Services, in collaboration with community leaders, developed and implemented the Burke-West Springfield Senior Center without Walls. This program consists of a network of organizations and community volunteers who lea d and implement activities for seniors in these specific communities. The entire process is resident-driven, increasing community buy-in and ensuring that the public remains engaged in further development decisions and processes. Burke-West Springfield Senior Center without Walls also takes a smart growth approach to delivering programs. The program utilizes existing non-governmental facilities to operate program. These organizations have donated their space for free. Member s of the program lead classes, publicizes events, manage the website, serve volunteer building directors, and assist with registration. The program has served over 300 adults age 50 and older since 2009. Over 30 volunteers and over 20 different organizations support the Center without Walls. Because of these citizens’ efforts, combined with those of the numerous partners, the Center is a true example of a community-based project.