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Council outlines staffing vacancies and urges support for Friends fundraising at Lynn senior center
Summary
Council members discussed a head clerk vacancy, the need for staff or supervised volunteers on the second floor, and a call to recruit Friends of the Council on Aging members and donors to support center activities.
Board members told the Lynn City Council on Aging that the center currently has a head clerk vacancy and will continue to rely on volunteers while recruiting for that role.
Tanya, the senior center director, and Pam, a Friends representative, described volunteer ambassador roles that give tours to new members and assist at events. Tanya said the center identifies two or three volunteer ambassadors who provide tours, hand out newsletters and help register new members in the center’s database.
Why it matters: volunteers and the Friends of the Council on Aging fund many activities the city budget does not cover; the board said recruiting more volunteers and Friends members will help sustain events such as birthday celebrations, holiday parties, raffles and other items the city budget cannot fund.
Fundraising and volunteers: Pam said the Friends pay for “a lot of different activities through the senior center” and are seeking board support to recruit new members, donors and business sponsors. The Friends are planning a networking event to solicit donations for specific needs (for example, photo booths at events, birthday celebrations, garden costs and other event items) and expect to reconvene in April. Pam asked board members to share a promotional flyer and to encourage businesses and community organizations to contribute.
Staffing needs and safety: board members stressed that when the second floor reopens the center will likely need an additional staff member or more volunteers with clear supervision arrangements. Tanya and Director Best said they would not staff the second floor with only volunteers and that arrangements will be required to ensure seniors are served and supervised safely.
Practical outreach: Pam and Tanya said outreach materials (a volunteer PNG/JPEG flyer and a separate event flyer) will be circulated and that social media (including Facebook) and hard‑copy flyers will be used to reach churches and community groups that might recruit volunteers or donors.
