CAZENOVIA — On Oct. 12, Community Resources for Independent Seniors (CRIS) presented a Madison County Senior Information “Fair in a Bag” event at St. Peter’s Church on Mill Street in Cazenovia.
From 9 to 11 a.m., seniors and/or caregivers were invited to stop by to pick up bags of information and other materials while remaining in their cars.
Organized in partnership with Community Living Advocates, the drive-thru style event was designed as a socially distanced and COVID-safe way to continue the annual Madison County Senior Information Fair, which is typically sponsored by New York State Senator Rachel May, chair of the Senate Committee on Aging.
May hosted the last in-person fair in Oct. 2019 at Canastota High School. According to an Oct. 7, 2019 press release from the NYS Senate, the free event included more than 50 vendors (government, nonprofit and business representatives) that provide services for or address the interests and needs of individuals 50 and older. Organized in partnership with the Madison County Office for the Aging, the fair offered a one-stop opportunity for seniors, family members, and friends to explore a wide range of programs and services, talk with representatives, and pick up informational materials on such topics as legal services, caregiver support programs, fraud prevention, healthcare programs and facilities, managed long-term care programs, home care services, and veterans’ support services. Flu shots were also available.
“Community Living Advocates has been coordinating Senior Fair in a Bag in Onondaga County with great success,” said CRIS Executive Director Karisha Solomon. “CRIS is part of their network group, and we decided to partner to bring the Senior Fair in a Bag to Madison County since the in person event was cancelled this year. The senator’s office was supportive of this decision . . . Senator May has [also] been receptive to hearing from the CRIS office regarding vaccine accessibility for seniors, since such a high emphasis was put on using computers or smart phones to register for the vaccine.”
According to Solomon, the information included in the Madison County Fair in a Bag is exactly the same as what the seniors would have received at the in-person information fair. With help from members of the senator’s office and other organizations, CRIS volunteers filled 200 bags with the following materials: a senior resource guide created by Senator May’s office; brochures and information on CRIS, Community Living Advocates, the Campaign for Better Hearing, the Alzheimer’s Association, the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Madison County Office for the Aging, the Madison County Rural Health Council, the Madison County Department of Social Services, Crouse Community Center, adult day health care, hospice, Nascentia Health, the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, the First Presbyterian Church of Cazenovia, the CNY Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Alliance, The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing, and Oneida Mansion; and other “goodies,” such as hand sanitizer, sanitizer wipes, a spatula, chip clips, pens, handmade cards, magnets, candy, lip balm, and reusable bags.
“CRIS will be delivering any left over bags to senior apartments in Cazenovia, DeRuyter, and Hamilton, and to all the libraries in Madison County,” said Solomon. “The CRIS office will have a limited supply for pick up, but we have plenty of extra senior resource guides.”
Seniors interested in picking up resource guides can call 315-655-5743 to arrange a time.
Similar information distribution events were held in Hamilton, Chittenango and Canastota on Oct. 12 and 13.
CRIS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing and coordinating supportive services that help individuals 55 and older in the Cazenovia, Nelson and Fenner areas to preserve their independence, remain active and engaged in the community, and live safely and comfortably in their homes for as long as possible.
For more information on CRIS, visit cris-caz.com/.
Located in Liverpool, Community Living Advocates is the Senior Care Association for Central New York. Learn more at communitylivingadvocates.com.
