Taking the Show on the Road

To better serve the community, SourcePoint is offering more off-site

Since not every Delaware County resident is able to get to programs at SourcePoint’s Cheshire Road facility, the organization is taking more of its programs to residents.

Among SourcePoint’s major strategic goals over the next few years is to continue to improve access to its community programs, meeting those who benefit from said programming where they are within the county. Efforts thus far have resulted in partnerships with such locations as the City of Sunbury, the Delaware County District Library, and, more recently, the Delaware Community Center YMCA.

“One of the ways to go about this continued expansion is to talk about what we’ve already done for years in terms of community engagement,” said Amy Schossler, SourcePoint’s director of community programs. “This would include our caregiving programs and insurance programs, etc.”

SourcePoint’s New to Medicare, Matter of Balance, and senior scams programming are among those that have been taken to remote sites around the county, including different library branches.

“We have used most of the Delaware County district branches for these programs, and will add the new Liberty branch this year,” said Laura Smith, manager of community engagement. “We’ve also worked with the Wornstaff Library in Ashley and the Community Library in Sunbury, and we have an ongoing caregiver support group that meets in Sunbury.”

Smith said as the overall programming offerings at SourcePoint have increased, they’ve responded to “formal and informal ways that the community lets us know that they can’t always get to SourcePoint.” The off-site programming started with community education, such as Medicare classes, and Smith said they’ve recently launched more social programming, including bingo.

“We’re trying to get the programming that’s been requested to the areas asking for it,” Smith said.

Amber Swain, community engagement specialist for the City of Sunbury, said the city’s partnership with SourcePoint has been an asset.

“The partnership has really benefitted the residents in our community,” Swain said. “We have residents who attend that normally wouldn’t be able to because they don’t have the ability to travel to the SourcePoint location. The partnership has also brought the residents together, giving them a chance to form new friendships and grow existing ones. I love being a part of this because it gives me a chance to meet with residents while forming a better relationship with them and the people at SourcePoint.”

SourcePoint’s social activities in Sunbury typically take place on the third Monday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m. at Sunbury’s Town Hall (51 E. Cherry St.), while the Caregiver Conversations are on the third Thursday of each month from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Community Library (44 Burrer Drive).

A Matter of Balance

SourcePoint, Delaware, Ohio

Another successful community partnership has been with Preservation Parks, which hosts wellness programming at various locations thanks to a donor who provided SourcePoint with a van—what Schossler calls ‘the Go Van’—to help haul equipment.

“We take the van to the parks for art classes, tai chi, yoga,” Schossler said. “There, we see people who are used to going to the parks but who are not as familiar with SourcePoint. So that helps us to build a broader audience for our programming.”

One of SourcePoint’s newer partners for off-site programming is the Delaware Community Center YMCA. Chelsea Welen, SourcePoint’s administrator of community programs, said having the YMCA facility connected to the National Guard Armory increases the programming possibilities. You do not need to be a YMCA member to attend SourcePoint’s programs there.

“We have our New to Medicare classes going on there in March and April, and the space they have can also accommodate our social programming,” Welen said. “They have the gym where we could maybe offer dance classes, and it’s a great space to launch some of our learning classes.”

Schossler said the success of the existing partnerships has led to programming requests from other communities within Delaware County.

“As we roll out these programs, we have heard from other places like Genoa and Harlem townships that want programming in their town halls,” Schossler said. “We are taking a methodical approach and adding one community quarterly.”

SourcePoint programming can also be found as a component of its existing community cafes, where lunch is served in an off-site setting, such as the Georgetown Apartments and St. Michael’s Community in Delaware and White Lily Chapel in Ashley. Smith also cited SourcePoint’s “out and about” groups that require an off-site location for their activities.

“We have a bowling social group that meets on the second Sunday of the month at Penn Lanes, and three different groups that meet at restaurants for meals,” Smith said. “There’s a ‘Let’s Wine About It’ group that visits a winery and has a social gathering, a traveling golf league, and a fairly new group called Men on the Move.”

To learn more about all of SourcePoint’s programming, including its offsite activities and schedules, visit MySourcePoint.org.

Jeff Robinson is a feature writer for My Communicator.

Helping GENOA TOWNSHIP live well after 55

In addition to its partnership with the City of Sunbury, SourcePoint is expanding off-site programs to Genoa Township for Delaware County residents, 55 and better. You are invited to attend!

CAREGIVER CRASH COURSE

All you need in the time you have: A one-hour class for new, current, and future caregivers that includes information on safety, falls, getting organized, legal information, community resources, and self-care.

Wednesday, April 19, 1:30–2:30 p.m. at Genoa Township Hall, 5111 S. Old 3C Highway, Westerville.

SENIORS AGAINST SCAMS

Wednesday, May 17, 1:30–2:30 p.m. at Genoa Township Hall, 5111 S. Old 3C Highway, Westerville. New scams are created every day. This program is designed to provide a basic understanding of the types of scams targeting older adults and how to protect yourself from becoming a victim.

FALLS FREE ZONE – HOME HAZARDS

Wednesday, June 21, 1:30–2:30 p.m. at Genoa Township Hall, 5111 S. Old 3C Highway, Westerville. Each year, more than 1 in 4 adults aged 65 and older have a fall. Falls are the number one cause of injury and death among older adults. We created the Falls-Free Zone curriculum to provide comprehensive information to help prevent falls. This module speaks on hazards in the home that can lead to falls, followed by free walker and wheelchair tune-ups. May extend past the hour.

Registration for all programs listed above is required at MySourcePoint.org/EC or with customer service at 740-363-6677. Programs are subject to change.