Fundraising drive to help maintain key services.

The Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center Foundation is asking local residents to remember the moms, dads, and grandparents who have given so much to younger generations – and to contribute toward preserving valuable services for seniors in need.

“Thanks to the generosity of individuals and organizations who have contributed to the Senior Center, we have been able to serve more than 8,500 seniors this past year,” said Patti Rasmussen, president of the SCV Senior Center Foundation. “And now, with government funding becoming ever more scarce due to the economic crisis, we need the community’s help more than ever to keep providing these services to some of our most vulnerable citizens.”

The Foundation, whose mission is to raise funds for the Senior Center’s services to improve quality of life for seniors in need, has contacted supporters via post and e-mail campaigns, seeking contributions from community members as 2009 winds to a close.

In particular, leaders of the Senior Center and the Foundation are concerned about the center’s Adult Daycare Respite program, which provides safe, professional care for seniors with Alzheimer’s and other memory-afflicting illnesses. The program and its related services are in jeopardy of being shut down after being hit hard by deep budget cuts due to reduced availability of government funding. The cuts have forced the layoff of many extremely important social workers who ensure seniors receive services when they need them.

Other Senior Center programs needing assistance include the Home Delivered Meals program, which is a lifeline for homebound seniors, delivering hot meals to individuals who otherwise may not have anything to eat.

“Every gift, large or small, helps us improve quality of life for local seniors,” Rasmussen said. “For example, a $10 contribution buys one senior’s lunch at the Senior Center for one week. A contribution of $15 buys one week’s worth of Home Delivered Meals for a homebound senior, and $100 buys one day of emergency Personal Care service.”

Those interested in contributing to the annual campaign can do so online by visiting the non-profit Foundation’s website, www.scvseniorfoundation.org, or by sending contributions via mail to: SCV Senior Center Foundation, P.O. Box 220354, Newhall, CA 91322.