Athletes around the world just competed for the gold this summer and the Heritage Center of the Jewish Community Center has achieved gold as well — accreditation from the National Institute of Senior Centers.
“Accreditation is unique to the senior center field and demonstrates outstanding leadership and commitment to quality programs and services for older adults. The Heritage Center of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City is thriving and is the only senior center in Johnson County to hold the distinction of accreditation,” noted Sandra Greason, director of the Heritage Center, which serves senior adults 65 and older.
The Heritage Center joins the ranks of just 120 senior centers nationwide to have been awarded this designation by the NISC.
“Considering there is an estimated 15,000 senior centers in the United States, accreditation is seemingly as rare as an Olympic gold medal,” Greason said.
In celebration of its recent achievement, the Heritage Center will host an Accreditation Gala sponsored by The Tutera Group on Sunday, Sept. 9th. Due to limited capacity, the gala is by invitation only.
“We are pleased to have the opportunity to support and congratulate the Heritage Center for its commitment to seniors within our community,” said Randy Bloom, president and COO of the Tutera Group. “At Tutera Group, we share this commitment and look forward to our ongoing relationship.”
Greason added that in addition to “celebrating this accomplishment with our members, we hope to use this opportunity to educate community and state officials about our senior center and remind everyone that our programs are open to all faiths.”
“Whether it’s art, lunch, cards, exercise, book club, day trips or any one of the many programs offered by the Heritage Center, you’re sure to find something just right. Perhaps you’ll even feel you’re part of a gold medal team,” she continued.
Rod Minkin, chairman of the Heritage Center Senior Committee, congratulated the Heritage Center staff including Greason and Sandy Terwilliger, program coordinator, on this accomplishment.
“It was an achievement well-deserved, diligently pursued and a unique distinction.”
Qualifying for accreditation was a rigorous two-phase process, which included the participation of more than 40 community members, lay leaders and JCC staff. The first phase, the community self-assessment phase, is based on nine national senior center standards of operation: purpose, community collaboration, program planning, evaluation, financial management, governance, administration/human resources, record keeping and facility management. The second phase involved compiling supporting documentation related to the self-assessment and national accreditation manual, an on-site review of documentation and the Heritage Center facilities by a certified peer reviewer, and a review of the peer reviewers’ findings and recommendation by the National Institute of Senior Centers’ Accreditation Board.
“Successfully achieving accreditation status takes the work of many people both in the senior center and in the community. When these two groups work together, the rewards will be felt for many years to come. We are pleased to have the Heritage Center of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City on the list of more than 120 senior centers who meet the standards as developed by NISC. These are centers that are held up as models for others to follow,” said Maurine Arsenault, NISC program manager.
Ruth Buccheit, a NISC peer reviewer from Aurora, Colo., noted the Heritage Center has many strengths “including a caring staff, scholarship assistance to those experiencing financial hardships, number of sponsorships and community connections, user-friendly volunteer computer system for volunteers to log hours, comprehensive volunteer handbooks and wonderful facilities.”
Greason said this accreditation means a lot to the Kansas City Jewish community.
“Accreditation demonstrates to our funders we are aggressively engaged in meeting the needs of older adults in our community at national levels of quality. Likewise, it demonstrates to our members they are part of something special and have many opportunities to learn, make new friends, focus on health and discover new interests all in a safe and well-managed environment.”
David Burnstein attends several programs at the Heritage Center including its exercise classes, SMART Men (sports minded adults reminiscing together) and Jewish educational discussions. He enjoys his involvement in the Heritage Center.
“I love the camaraderie of the exercise classes and friendliness of Heritage Center participants. My cardiologist says keep doing what I’m doing,” Burnstein said.
To learn more about the Heritage Center, go to www.jcckc.org/heritagecenter or call Greason at 913-327-8042.