This story is part of a series that will look at and profile each of the six startups in NewBoCo’s Fall 2018 accelerator programs.
In 2008, the Witwer Senior Center in Cedar Rapids was flooded and the city has not seen an adequate replacement since then.
Aging Services, a nonprofit organization that provides services and resources to help older adults remain independent, is looking to change that.
Aging Services was recently accepted into the Social Good Accelerator with plans to develop a new Linn County Senior Center.
“Since the senior flooded in 2008, the community has been trying to rally to get a senior center back, but unfortunately, that has not worked in our favor,” said Lindsay Glynn, Director of Program Development & Engagement at Aging Services. “The city hasn’t provided funding to make that happen. So we are really excited to part of the accelerator and officially develop a sustainable program and move forward with this project.”
Being accepted into the accelerator will allow for more strategic and focused approach in developing the center, Glynn told Clay & Milk.
“In the past, we’ve always concentrated on finding a building first and then trying to figure out the next step,” Glynn said. “Our approach now is different. We’re starting with a sustainability model, working with market research to see what people want happen, and then building around those first pieces. So our approach has dramatically changed.”
Glynn says that she hopes that the Linn County Senior Center will change the way people view senior centers in general.
“One of the things we’re really trying to work on is this image of a senior center and what it is,” Glynn said. “A lot of people have in their minds that its a place for people to go get free hot meals and play cards and that’s not necessarily what we’re talking about. We’re really talking about a place for active people to get together and stay engaged in the community and creating innovating programs to help do that.”