Nearly 100 people attended Friends of Newtown Seniors’ (FONS) Second Annual Membership Dinner on Wednesday, May 7, at Newtown Community Center.

FONS Board Member Beverly Bennett-Schaedler said one goal of the dinner was to give local residents age 55 and older an overview of what the organization has achieved over the past year and what they hope to achieve in the future. The other goal, she added, was to get the word out to potential volunteers.

“The more help we have, the better,” Bennett-Schaedler said.

FONS is a nonprofit organization that provides advocacy and services to Newtown seniors through initiatives such as the Chore Services program, which helps seniors remain in their homes independently, and the Newtown Rides program, which shuttles seniors in need to locations around town for grocery shopping or doctor’s appointments.

The event continues the momentum of the nonprofit’s successful membership dinner last year, which had several people sign up to become FONS members afterwards.

For this year, attendees once again got to socialize over a buffet dinner and dessert before the presentation. The theme for this year’s buffet was “Flavors of Newtown” and featured food from different local restaurants and businesses. Everyone filled up their plate with salads, vegetables, pasta dishes, eggplant rollatini, and more.

At the tables were red and white wine donated by Sean Cronin, along with desserts such as large cookies, but people could also help themselves to water.

After a brief introduction from FONS Vice President Peter Schwarz, FONS President John Boccuzzi Sr spoke on how this year marks FONS’ 10th anniversary of being an officially recognized nonprofit. Moving forward, he said, they’re looking to continue their services and help senior residents however they can.

Boccuzzi said getting new volunteers to achieve those goals would not only benefit FONS, but also the volunteers themselves. He cited a study from Duke University and the University of Texas that found seniors who volunteer were mentally and physically more healthy compared to those who do not.

“We try to meet the needs of seniors as they’re brought to our attention, and one of the things that we hope comes out of this tonight is that some of you will have suggestions of what we can focus on in the future,” Boccuzzi said.

He continued by discussing several of FONS’ initiatives. The first is “Timeless Newtown: Embracing Every Generation,” which aims to counteract negative attitudes and stereotypes with aging through various programs. The second is a review of the age-friendly, livable community plan and its further implementation.

Boccuzzi explained FONS was designated as the leader of that initiative in 2017 by the Board of Selectmen and has continued to carry that mission and strengthen the Newtown community.

He ended his segment by giving everyone a personal challenge: pledge two-ten volunteer hours to FONS before December 31 of this year.

Bennett-Schaedler took the floor next. After receiving the Andrus Award for Community Service from AARP Connecticut last year, Bennett-Schaedler said that AARP Connecticut also gave her $3,000. She put that money directly towards the FONS Chore Services program, and said she was more than willing to support local seniors in whatever way she could.

She also discussed the nonprofit’s Newtown Rides program and Chore Services program. An act of service, she said, could be as simple as helping seniors who can no longer climb a step stool to change a light or move furniture or volunteering to drive them to places they need to go.

“So if you don’t think you have a talent, you really do,” Bennett-Schaedler said. “It’s a wonderful feeling to help somebody else less fortunate.”

New Program

Bennett-Schaedler announced a new FONS program titled, “It’s Time For Yourself (It Will Be Okay!)” The program looks for retired or active nurses, physical therapists, or anybody in the medical field willing to give an hour or two to a spouse of someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia. She said everyone knows someone who cannot go to events they might want to because they need to take care of their spouse.

The new program, Bennett-Schaedler said, would temporarily provide adequate care for those spouses.

“We need to give these people a little bit of time to know their spouse is being taken care of,” Bennett-Schaedler said.

A kickoff event is planned for Thursday, June 5, at noon, at My Place Restaurant. Reservations are requested and available by calling 203-430-0633.

Other speakers include FONS Board Members Frank Monette, who spoke on how the organization supports the Newtown community through participating in events such as Oktoberfest and the Labor Day Parade; Joan Alexander, who spoke about the group’s fundraisers such as their paper shredding event; and Janice Garten who discussed FONS’ social events such as their monthly dinner socials.

FONS Board Member Ned Simpson hosted a round table, where people could fill out their discussion forms and discuss topics such as what Newtown topics FONS should advocate for or against, as well as what reasons someone would have to move or not move to Newtown.

Speaking with The Newtown Bee following the membership event, Bennett-Schaedler said they had a wonderful response when it came to engaging interest, and that reservations filled up quickly. She attributes this to using QR codes on posters for quick and easy registration. While FONS had to stop at 100 reservations for the dinner, Bennett-Schaedler hopes they can expand to 150 people next year.

“I’m just excited to do this again and let people know what we do,” Bennett-Schaedler said.

To learn more about FONS, call 203-430-0633, email info@FriendsOfNewtownSeniors.org, or visit friendsofnewtownseniors.org.

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Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.