The Bethel Age-Friendly Community Initiative has had a busy spring as we work to bring community resources and information about them to area seniors.

We have an updated Resource Directory on our website at agefriendlybethel.org which provides links and other contacts for medical, educational, transportation, fuel assistance, legal, and other topics.

Our volunteers are attending existing seniors-oriented events to provide such information in person. We are also coordinating with the Bethel Family Health Center to connect seniors with resources.

AFCI itself directly provides rides to appointments, shopping locations, and other area destinations at no charge. We are also recruiting volunteer call coordinators who are interested in working from home to take call requests for rides via voicemail or email requests that use a software calendar.

The annual AFCI Driver and Call Coordinator appreciation and training luncheon will take place on September 10 at the West Paris Congregational Church in Bethel.  If you think you might be interested in either of these volunteer roles, give us a call (824-4444) or e-mail [email protected].

Telstar High School had a very successful Day of Service event on May 9 and 10, as students fanned out across the area to assist homeowners with spring cleanup chores. AFCI helped identify people who appreciated having the young people spruce up their property.

We look forward to continuing to support seniors in staying connected to their community.