KENILWORTH – Senior “TechTours” in Wellington North were a great success, according to township officials, so staff have applied for a second grant in order to offer the programming again.
The program included three bus tours and a series of tech-based classes with the aim of “connecting seniors through technology and bus adventures,” and it was made possible by a $21,700 provincial Seniors Community Grant.
Wellington North community and economic development manager Mandy Jones said the grant money went towards technology including a projector and portable projector screen, bus trips, staff payment.
Two of the bus trips took place in December and one was in January, said seniors programs project lead Janice Benson. “One trip to Harriston to see Anne of Green Gables …. a day trip to Elora, and we went to see the Mooreband in Drayton for their Christmas concert.”
Benson described the bus tours as “very popular” and said people often bump into her in public and ask when the next tour will be. “So there seems to be quite an appetite out there for seniors,” she said.
“They enjoyed the fact that transportation was provided and that it was free. But some of them even said “if we had to pay for it we’d still like to have a bus.’”
The technology courses focused on digital literacy, Benson said, and were offered in cooperation with Minto and Mapleton.
“There were eight different classes in the course and we did four different locations, so it turned out to be 32 classes,” she said.
“There was a good turnout – people seemed interested in learning more and about digital literacy and how to connect more with your community.
“We had a guest speaker from McFarlane (Family) Dental, talking about the new dental program and how to access that online,” she said.
“And we had Kindred (Credit Union) join us and teach about bank fraud and how to be safe with online banking.”
“People … enjoyed it and they’re asking for more,” Benson said.
Jones said Mapleton staff have applied for a second grant through the provincial seniors community grant program.
“We’ve requested $25,000 for that,” she said, to go towards bus tours, board games, intergenerational activities, paint nights and more.
