Virtual Center for Active Adults (VCAA)

About the Program

Category: Parks and Recreation (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

In 2020, as Fairfax County – and the world – faced the COVID-19 pandemic, county staff sought a way to engage older adults and adults with disabilities on a new Zoom programming platform while senior centers were closed. Participating in social, health and wellness, and creative programing in-person at the 14 county senior centers was a way of life for that population. The Department of Neighborhood and Community Services in collaboration with our partners at ServiceSource Inc., embraced the Zoom platform, meeting the programming challenges with a robust slate of daily live and on-demand programming in a new Virtual Center for Active Adults (VCAA). Participants could see their friends in a social group, learn a skill, practice a foreign language, stay fit and so much more. NCS staff brainstormed, scheduled, invested in technology, taught tech-challenged people the basics and saw the program blossom. To date, VCAA has served over 64,000 individuals in over 3,400 virtual activities and has a virtual library of over 25 on-demand videos. Based on the high use and very positive feedback, NCS plans to keep the program active indefinitely.