HUNDREDS TURN OUT FOR ANNUAL SENIOR CELEBRATION

LaGrangeville, NY—Hundreds of area seniors turned out this morning for the annual senior celebration hosted by Senator Sue Serino and the Dutchess County Office for the Aging. Now in their fifth year of hosting the event together, the free Senior Golden Gathering was once again held at Arlington High School in LaGrangeville.

Senator Sue Serino said,“The Golden Gathering is a unique way to increase access to important resources for our seniors by bringing countless businesses and organizations together under one roof. Our seniors have dedicated their lives to building the community we know and love, and the Golden Gathering is a fun way to celebrate them, bring them together, and ensure that they have the information they need to live out their Golden Years right here in our local community. We cannot thank our community partners enough for helping to make this event a success each year.”

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said,"We are committed to providing high-quality services and programs for Dutchess County seniors - through our Office for the Aging and our partnerships with great community agencies. We were pleased to work with Senator Sue Serino to bring so many organizations together in one place for the annual Golden Gathering so our local seniors can learn about all of the opportunities and information available to them, including healthcare, recreation, housing, insurance and so much more. We are grateful to all of the organizations who participated in today's event."

Dutchess County Office for the Aging Director Todd Tancredi said,“Residents look forward to this event all year long and the Office for the Aging is excited to partner with Senator Serino once again to make this wonderful event happen for our seniors. The Golden Gathering is an important opportunity for our office to connect with local seniors, to empower them and to help them access resources they may not even have known were available.”

From senior safety to nutrition, the informational event acts as a ‘one-stop shop,’ bringing together invaluable resources for seniors and their families. Each year, the event features free health screenings, entertainment, refreshments, door prizes and various informational tables geared toward the interests and needs of area senior citizens. This year’s event brought over 100 local businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government offices together to serve area seniors. 

As always, local pharmacies were on hand to administer flu and pneumonia vaccines, and the event featured free live entertainment by Country 107.3 WRWD’s Uncle Mike and performer Bob Martinson. 

The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office was also on hand to help residents ‘shed the meds.’ Residents were able to bring their unused or expired prescription drugs to the event and a representative from the Sheriff’s Office was able to collect and safely dispose of them, keeping the drugs off our streets and out of our environment.

The event also featured two Senior Scam Prevention Seminars hosted by the Dutchess County Office for the Aging, which sought to provide attendees with important and up-to-date information to help them avoid falling victim to common scams or identity theft. 

A representative from State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s Office helped guide attendees through the process of locating and retrieving any unclaimed funds they may have with the state. New York is currently holding $16 billion in lost money and the Comptroller’s representative was able to connect attendees with any money that may be owed to them in a safe and secure way. The Comptroller’s website features a free searchable online database that anyone can use to determine whether they have unclaimed funds with the state. Residents who were not able to attend the event, but wish to search the database, can visit: https://www.osc.state.ny.us/ouf/or call the Comptroller’s office at 1-800-221-9311Monday through Fridaybetween 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.

For the first time, this year’s event featured visits from some furry, four-legged friends as well. Positive Paws was on site with two therapy dogs and Minnie and Rosie, two certified therapy mini ponies, were busy making the rounds as well. 

Both Senator Serino and the Dutchess County Office for the Aging wish to thank the dedicated team at Arlington High School who work tirelessly to help ensure the event’s success each year.