AmeriCorps mother-daughter duo Andee Heistand and Carla Conley are making a difference in the lives of older adults attending The Kathleen K. Catlin Senior Friendship Center in Venice.

Join us in celebrating Older Americans Month 2012 at Senior Friendship Centers. This year's theme is Never Too Old to Play, and the Centers offer multiple ways to have fun and put play into your life. 

A mentoring partnership bewtten Senior Friendship Centers' RSVP Program and CareerEdge funders is a collaborative "win-win" for senior volunteers and new jobseekers. 

Tech Boot Camp is an opportunity for beginners to learn to use the latest technology from computers to smart phones, iPads and more. This award-winning program uses an intergenerational approach, with student mentors providing one-on-one, hands-on tutoring to compliment classes taught by professionals. Student volunteers are currently being sought to help this summer, call 941. 556. 3249 to learn more. Hours can be used for the Bright Futures program.

Friends of the Center is a new opportunity to show your support for your Senior Center, while gaining valuable member benefits. 

New Scan systems implemented at Senior Friendship Centers in Sarasota and Venice will enable the Centers to capture data for future planning and grant applications. 

World Health day this year took a fresh look a health data to help us better understand the needs of older people, and some of the associated stereotypes of older adults. 

The theme for the 2012 Florida Conference on Aging is "Aging: New Game, New Rules." It will be held Aug 20 -22 at the Grande Lakes Ritz-Carlton. 

The Senior Friendship Centers for Healthy Aging Dental Clinic in Venice is in urgent need of volunteer nurses and clinic aides.

Whether you are able to volunteer  for a few hours a day, once a month, or once a week, it’s an exciting opportunity to help older adults in medical need in our community  while working with an outstanding professional team. We welcome nurses and clinic aides who may be retired, or currently working in the field, and we’re willing to train interested individuals. Call 941.556.3249 for more information.

Betty Gamel, director of the Friendship Health Clinic in Naples recently received the Nurse's Excellence in Healthcare award during the Naples Dai...

If you have an Apple  iPad, or are thinking about getting one, a new six week educational series offered at Senior Friendship Centers will  help you learn to make the most of it.  

Stop by and visit Senior Friendship Centers  booth at the 20th Annual Sharks Tooth Festival in Venice April 13 (4- 9 p.m.), 14 , and 15, (10...

Compeer Gulfcoast seeks $10,000 match for challenge grant. Housed at Senior Friendship Centers, Compeer matches adults in the recovery phase of a diagnosed mental health disorder in friendship with a caring volunteer.  Compeer serves as a complement to therapy which empowers people to become more socially integrated and combat the effects of mental illness, from loneliness to isolation and low self worth.

Ready for a world cruise without leaving Sarasota? The Sarasota Silver Stars will take you there on April 27 in a joint benefit for The Friendship Center in Sarasota and the Sarasota Silver Stars. The evening begins with light bites and wine form 6:30 - 7:15 p.m. when the show begins. Tickets, priced at $25 per person are available at the Center, 1888 Brother Geenen Way, Sarasota, or by calling 941. 556.3214.

Senior Friendship Centers is proud to be among 100 non profits selected for the 36-Hour Giving Challenge March 27 at 6 a.m. to March 28 at 6 p.m. During this time period a 1:1 donor match up to a total of $501,000 made possible through the Patterson Foundation and special grants form the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Gulf Coast Community Foundation and the Manatee Community Foundation, will be offered on a first-come, first served basis.

New at The Friendship Center - iPad 3 classes - beginning April. The Center also offers computer classes for Mac and PC. 

Elizabeth Delaney celebrated her 109th birthday at Senior Friendship Centers Living Room March 12.

The caregiving experience touches almost all of us at some point in our lives, and it presents not only challenge, but opportunity.  Writer Hannah Wallace looks at one of the most challenging, and often rewarding experience in life, in the March issue of Sarasota Magazine. 

Just as athletes benefit from crosstraining to improve their physical performance, the human brain can be strengthened by alternating activities, and ...

Say the word and join us for "You Bet Your Life... a Madcap Evening" to benefit the programs of the Senior Friendship Centers on Tuesday,March 13 at The Friendship Center in Sarasota.

Senior Friendship Centers  invites you to join us for The Music Man at Venice Theater Feb. 28, with proceeds to benefit SFC's Pat Buster Health Clinic in Venice. Staffed by volunteer doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, office assistants and clinic aides,the clinics provide mroe than 3,000 visits annually to low income and uninsured older adults. 

Don't miss a great morning on the links for a wonderful cause. The fourth annual Tee it Up for the CRC will be held May 4 at Heritage Oaks Golf & Country Club in Sarasota. This annual favorite supports Senior Friendship Centers' Sarasota Caregiver Resource Center which helps hundreds of caregivers and families each year.

Check out our newest blog, with insights by Kathy Silverberg. Secretary for the Senior Friendship Centers' Board of Governors, she is currently a ...

Senior  Friendship Centers has received a $5,000 from the Linnie E. Dalbeck Memorial Foundation Trust to underwrite program support for Powerful Tools for Caregivers. This program addresses the needs of individuals caring for a frail elder through using Powerful Tools for Caregivers, a six week educational curriculum teaching  caregivers how to cope with the challenges and joys of caregiving.

Senior Friendship Centers for Healthy Aging Dental Clinics in Sarasota and Venice are in urgent need of volunteer dental assistants and clinic aides. Training provided. If you can help, please call 941.556.3249.

It's fun for a good cause from The Music Man at Venice Theatre Feb. 28  to SFC's signature gala A Madcap Evening with the The Marx Brothers  March 13.  Call 941.556.3205  to reserve your tickets today!

At the 30th Anniversary Celebration of  the Brother William Geenen Living Room in Sarasota, caregiver support group leader and counselor Jane Johnson, MSW, shared insights about what The Living Rooms  have meant to her, and what they mean for people in our community. 

Senior Friendship Centers in Sarasota County is currently in need of volunteers for the following positions: Sarasota Home Delivered Meals Dri...

Serendipity and Paintball Pete, certified pet therapy llamas pay a visit to The Living Room, Senior Friendship Centers' adult day services, in thi...

Love the music of the '50s, '60s and '70s? Get your pals together, come out and take a cruise down memory lane. Groove to the tunes of the...

Praised as a model for intergenerational activities. Tech Boot Camp at Senior Friendship Centers has tech savvy youth helping to teach seniors how to use tech tools: digital cameras, cell phones, basic email and internet, skype and more.

Tee it Up for Senior Friendship Centers' Sarasota Caregiver Resource Center on May 6 at Heritage Oaks Golf & Country Club.

Ann Hartka, who brought the Compeer program to Senior Friendship Centers in Sarasota, recently was honored  with the first "Heart of Gold Award" by Sunshine from Darkness. Compeer complements mental health care therapy by matching community volunteers in one-to-one friendships with adults who are experiencing mental health challenges.

City of Sarasota invites you to a free mobility fair featuring interactive exhibits as well as brainstorming sessions and a forum to develop community priorities for future transportation plans and improvements.  This is the first step in an 18-month city-wide process to establish current perceptions and future goals for how the City addresses transportation needs.

On Tuesday, March 15 Tommy Bahama on St. Armand’s Circle will donate 10% of sales between 1 - 4 p.m. to Senior Friendship Centers, along with free food and beverages from its restaurant. This is a great opportunity for an outing on St. Armands, and shopping for a good cause.

Staying Healthy in 2011,” a free seminar on managing your health will be presented by the Gulf Coast Diabetes Foundation on Tuesday, March 22, in the Dwyer Room of the Senior Friendship Center for Healthy Aging, 1900 Brother Geenen Way. Sarasota from 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 

Bob Dylan's "The Time's They Are a-Changin'" is the inspiration for this week's column by Karen Blanchette, Director of Senior Friendship Centers of Desoto County.  The song is fitting in many ways for reflection on the past and looking forward to 2011.

For many older adults in Sarasota County, the holidays are bittersweet. Memories of seasons past and feelings of isolation, loneliness and loss, can m...

A Salute to Veterans with special celebration of the Veterans of WW II is slated Thursday, Nov. 11 at the Friendship Center, 1888 Brother Geenen Way, Sarasota. The 1 p.m. program will feature presentation of colors by American Legion Post 312. Senior Friendship Centers  President and CEO Robert Carter and WW II veteran Harold Ronson will speak, followed by refreshments and dancing to the music of Lillette Jenkins-Wisner, including WW II era tunes. Veterans are invited to attend as special guests and to wear their military hats and bring items for a memorabilia table. If there is interest, a new Veterans group may be forming at The Friendship Center. 

The Harold and Kay Ronson Dance Floor at Friendship Center in Sarasota will be dedicated at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 3, in honor of the benef...

Volunteers really are the champions of Senior Friendship Centers, where "people helping people" has been the foundation of our programs since 1973. A Breakfast of Champions will be held from 9:30 - 11 a.m. Nov. 5  at the Kathleen K. Catlin Friendship Center in Venice, and Nov. 12 at the Friendship Center, 1888 Brother Geenen Way, Sarasota.

The Kiwanis Club of Cape Coral Foundation recently presented a $10,000 check to Senior Friendship Centers Health and Wellness Services in Lee County to fund mammograms for women who are uninsured or on limited incomes.  

Volunteers in Sarasota County will join millions of Americans across the country on Saturday, Oct. 23 for the 19th Annual National Make a Difference D...

The FREE  four-part CARE program is designed to enhance care while helping caregivers address their own physical and  emotional needs. It will be offered in at Senior Friendship Centers Caregiver Resource Centers in Sarasota and Venice during the month of October.
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Caregivers are invited to attend a FREE informational meeting on the AARP Prepare to Care program on Tuesday, Nov. 30, from 10 -11 a.m. Sponsored through the AARP Foundation and Pathways to Engagement, Prepare to Care is a planning guide to help families organize and share information. For more information call 941.556.3268.

Retirees in Service to the Environment (RISE) is an eight-week course offering opportunities to explore and learn about the environment. It meets Tuesday mornings, and will include visits to Mote Marine, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Oscare Scherer State Park, Orance Blossom Community Park, Urfer Family Park and Save Our Seabirds

The Compeer program at Senior Friendship Centers Sarasota offers new opportunities to make friends and change lives by matching volunteer friends to improve the lives of adults striving for good mental health.

Fall Friendship After 4 classes at Senior Friendship Centers in Sarasota are designed to meet your schedule begin in October and include Gourmet Cooking, French for Travelers and Zumba.

Gather up a foursome and join us Saturday Oct. 30, at Mission Valley Golf and Country Club in Laurel for the annual Swinging With Friends Golf tournament to benefit  Senior Friendship Centers Venice campus. 

Senior Friendship Centers welcomes a new dining site in North Sarasota County.  Located at Bayou Oaks, 1160 Four Seasons Circle, a 55 and older community, the site is open from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. providing a nutritious lunch for persons 60 and older on Wednesdays and Fridays. 

On Sep. 16, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.,  learn how you can connect to exciting volunteer opportunities at SFC, including: RISE (Retirees in Service to the Environment); helping caregivers through the Pathways to Engagement Initiative and Caregiver Resource Center; Helping isolated elders through Friendship at Home; and many other opportunities at the Friendship Centers.

More than 30% of hip injuries due to falls are fatal, but your chance of falling can be reduced dramatically. Learn more Monday, Sept. 20 at 9:30 a.m. at The Friendship Center, Sarasota, at a Balance Movement demonstration, including how to get up from a fall and safety in the home.

This month, we celebrate Senior Friendship Centers' 38th Anniversary, National Accredication and National Senior Center Month. Join us in Sarasota on Friday, Sept. 1 at 1 p.m at The Friendship Center in Sarasota, or in Venice on Friday, Sept. 3 at 1 p.m. in Venice at the Kathleen K. Catlin Friendship Center.

SAVE THE DATE OCT. 26. Join us for a full day for the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival when Epcot becomes a food and wine lover’s paradise with specialty food items and live musical entertainment. This is your opportunity to try foods, wines, and beers from around the world. More to come in next month’s Prime Times.

Wednesday, Sept. 15. Monthly conversation about Elderhostels’ new Road Scholar programs offered around the world, and current events discussions. Share your experiences on programs and listen to ot

Join us for a nutritious hot breakfast at the Bistro in Sarasota in celebration of National Better Breakfast Month 9-10 a.m., Suggested donation $2-$4. Reservations required 24 hours in advance by calling 556.3212.

Join the American Heart Association Walk on Sept. 25 at Payne Park. Call Dana at 544.3283. Interested in starting a walking group at SFC Sarasota? Let us know, a group may be forming shortly. Call 556-3214 for information.

Join us Sept. 30 for an aftternoon of fun and friendship on the links at Mission Valley Golf & Country Club.

Join us Sept. 30 for an aftternoon of fun and friendship on the links at Mission Valley Golf & Country Club.

On Wednesday, Aug. 18, we're filling as many buses as necessary to participate in the Devil Rays' Senior Prom. Press level tickets (a $35 value) are just $19. Transportation is FREE!

If you've ever felt a little overwhelmed by learning to use your new cell phone, digital camera, computer or GPS, you're not alone. The Annual Tech Bootcamp held at Senor Friendship Centers is a great opportunity to get a handle on how to use them. This year, Skype, the tool that lets you talk live to family and friends miles away, is new, and the ever-popular Nintendo Wii is back by popular demand.

The Youth Volunteer camp is set up for Sarasota students to experience five different ways to volunteer in the Sarasota community and earn up to 35 service hours toward Bright Futures scholarships.