By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
This fall, Community Resources for Independent Seniors (CRIS) celebrated 10 years of service in the Cazenovia, Nelson and Fenner areas.
CRIS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing and coordinating supportive services that help individuals 55 and older to preserve their independence; to remain active and engaged in the community; and to live safely and comfortably in their homes for as long as possible.
On Nov. 15, CRIS held an open house at 10 Mill St. in Cazenovia to highlight the organization’s work and to seek suggestions for future programs and services.
The event also served as a memorial for CRIS’s first president, Hume Laidman, and Jean Shirley, who served on the CRIS board since its inception.
CRIS emerged in response to a 2009 senior housing feasibility study — conducted by the Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce — that identified a need for both senior housing and senior services in the community.
Today, two of the organization’s major initiatives include CRIS-CAT (Cazenovia Area Transportation) and CRIS TimeBank.
Launched in 2010, CRIS-CAT provides free medical transportation to seniors who are independent but unable to drive.
The program’s volunteers have provided 3,567 rides and driven 114,021 miles as of Oct. 7.
The program also offers monthly bus trips to the Oneida Walmart and the surrounding area.
Each year, the volunteer drivers are honored with an appreciation luncheon at the Lincklaen House.
CRIS-CAT is currently in need of additional volunteers to meet the increase in requests for transportation.
In 2014, CRIS founded TimeBank, a volunteer-based network that helps foster a strong, supportive community through the exchange of skills and services.
In the TimeBank model, each member (age 21 and older) has an account. For each hour of service provided through the program, a member earns one TimeBank hour credit to exchange with another member for future services.
The program’s 100-plus members post offers of services and requests for help online at cris.timebanks.org/.
Last year, TimeBank partnered with Cazenovia College to present the “Filling the Gaps” mentoring program — a new initiative that matches students from the college’s human services program with local senior citizens.
The pilot program was funded through the Cazenovia College President’s Innovative Fund.
The two-way mentoring program not only provides seniors with support and companionship, but it also provides students with enriching experiences and new perspectives.
CRIS also offers a referral service; a resource directory; a monthly events calendar; a yearly Aging in Place Expo; health and wellness fairs; professional speakers and trainings on a variety of topics (e.g., Medicare, death and dying, therapies, senior housing, celebrating life, etc.); CRIS corner articles in the Cazenovia Republican; a CRIS book club; an Alzheimer’s support group; Vital Conversations and 5 Wishes Workshops; and multi-generational community events (e.g., potlucks, after school board games, card making, etc.).
The organization is also responsible for getting senior volunteers involved in the Cazenovia Recreation Program and for starting the annual Lend A Hand Weekend — an event during which neighbors assist each other with everyday tasks.
CRIS operates under the leadership of Executive Director Karisha Solomon, CRIS-CAT Coordinator Allisyn Roszel, TimeBank Coordinator Mary Bartlett, and a board of directors that includes Roszel, Bob Ridler, Peter Barth, Diane Ryan, Julie Harney, Tracy Palmer, Pam Ellis, Beverly Thorp, Chris Wnorowski, and Deb Dougherty — the board’s Cazenovia Area Senior Association (CASA) representative.
“I think it’s a great organization, I really do,” said Ryan, who organizes the Aging in Place Expo and participates in the Filling the Gaps mentoring program. “Being able to help people age in their own homes and communities is really what attracted me to [this organization] . . . It provides a nice service — kind of a resource guide — to the seniors in the community. There are a lot of seniors and there are going to be more. That’s where the trend is going.”
CRIS moved to its current location on Mill Street last summer.
“We are grateful to St. Peter’s Church for the opportunity to be able to rent office space and utilize the parish hall and industrial kitchen,” Solomon said. “[We] are utilizing all of the spaces for our programs. The parking and building are handicap accessible.”
Solomon has served as executive director for two years.
Moving forward into 2020 and beyond, Solomon anticipates that CRIS’s mission and role in the community will remain the same.
“We advocate for the need that we hear and see,” she said. “ . . . We know that people will be living longer and with more chronic conditions. We anticipate this need and will continue to meet it with the programs that we currently offer. We will be seeking sponsorships and funding to help continue [the programs we currently offer] and to expand [the] supportive services that are needed by seniors.”
The organization’s upcoming programs and initiatives will focus on connecting community.
CRIS plans to connect with local businesses and health care professionals through the exchange of informational materials.
The organization also plans to partner with a local Girl Scout Troop. According to Solomon, the seniors will help the Girl Scouts to earn their baking badges, and the scouts will deliver cookies and flowers to seniors who are unable to leave their homes or are in need of company.
Next year, CRIS will collaborate with St. Peter’s Church and the Office for the Aging to bring meals and nutrition education to seniors in the community through the Senior Nutrition and County Kitchen (SNACK) program.
Upcoming Vital Conversations presentations will focus on aging in place.
“We are seeking sponsors for this series,” said Solomon. “We are looking into speakers from long term care insurance, funeral planning, downsizing, advanced care planning, co housing, Medicare . . . We are also opening our community space to organizations that serve seniors and for seniors to use . . . Please reach out to us with any suggestions, if you would like to be a speaker or use our space.”
To learn more about CRIS or to make a donation, visit cris-caz.com/ or call 315-655-5743.
