The Prince George Council of Seniors (PGCOS) celebrated the grand opening of their bigger, brighter Seniors Resource Centre, located on Fifth Avenue, on Wednesday afternoon.
The PGCOS recently moved from 721 Victoria St. to 1330 Fifth Ave., right beside MLA Shirley Bond’s office and decided to celebrate the occasion.
Mayor Simon Yu and Councilor Susan Scott, council representative for seniors, PGCOS executive director Michelle McGregor, board chair Fred Archibald, along with many board members, staff and volunteers were in attendance for the memorable occasion.
“The Prince George Council of Seniors has been operating since about 1990 and has grown exponentially over the years as our demographic grows and the needs for resources and services continues to increase,” Janet Marren, vice president of the board of directors of the Prince George Council of Seniors, said. “We are an umbrella organization for all seniors organizations in Prince George so that we can speak with one voice when we advocate for seniors.”
Marren said as the Council of Seniors expanded programs and added more to the list offered at the Seniors Resource Centre, they needed more space to accommodate the growing demand and fundraised and found their new location.
“We’ve had to add staff and volunteers,” Marren added. “This is a larger space to serve our clients better.”
The Prince George Council of Seniors has invited the Meals on Wheels coordinator to base operations at the new location as they look to expand that service, while offering a Better at Home program and now the coordinator has an office in-house at the new location. There is also a pro bono lawyer offering low-income seniors services regarding estate planning in a private office and there is also free income tax preparation services. There is a supportive Family Caregiver Program and a Housing & Community Navigator to assist seniors who need help with housing and accessing services that are only made available online.
“It’s been wonderful to have more space to be able to accommodate all these many needs and services,” Marren said.
For more information visit the office, 1330 Fifth Avenue, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. or online at http://www.pgcos.ca/
