After 19 years of service at the helm of the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center, Executive Director Brad Berens is leaving and seeking other opportunities. According to reliable sources, his departure was a mutual agreement between Berens and the center’s board of directors.

“The Senior Center Board of Directors appreciates Brad’s long service to the seniors of the community,” reads a press release about Berens’ departure. “He has made a lasting impression on the staff and those seniors he served. We are certain that Brad’s experience will support him as he fulfills his desire to find new opportunities to serve.”

According to the release, prior to bringing in new management, the Senior Center will consider improving the efficiencies in all of the programs offered to its senior clients and the community at large. An initial goal will be to implement the benefits of modern technology in order to improve communications and increase productivity. This will require new equipment and systems, requiring some initial expenditures. The goal is to provide the staff with the most modern tools as they deliver the services to meet the physical, emotional and financial needs of its clients.

Along with the SCV Senior Center Foundation, the Senior Center has formed an exploratory committee to begin the process of planning for the construction of a new additional Senior Center in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The Senior Center provides a multitude of programs and services for its clients including health and wellness seminars, arts and entertainment activities, handy workers and day care providers, daily lunches and more than 18,000 meals served annually at the Center or delivered right to senior’s front doors.

Last weekend, two Home Delivered Meals trucks were damaged and one was stolen, prompting the community to open their hearts and wallets to support the program on which so many seniors depend.

“The out-pouring this community has shown has been heart warming,” the board wrote. “We are already moving to replace those vehicles and appreciate the sheriff department’s vigilance in pursing the perpetrator of this theft. In the meantime, the staff and many volunteers worked extra-hard to ensure none of those meals were missed.”

No replacement for Berens or temporary manager has been named yet.