Serene Karplus, Nederland.   Nederland Area Seniors celebrates its 20th year as a thriving nonprofit serving hundreds of mountain seniors with delicious nutritious meals, fitness programs, educational speakers, and cultural outings.

This banner year of 2015 launched our new Mountain MidLife Social Group, open to all who define themselves to be in their “middle years”. We host monthly dinners for 70 or more attendees and breakfasts for upwards of 50. As this group gets to know one another, we are forming interest groups on books, yoga, cooking, hiking, and other topics that are popping up as leadership steps forward.

Like all growing organizations, we must change with the times to thrive. Our seniors welcome this younger group to participate in any and all activities already established (lunches, fitness, pickleball, writing, hiking, cultural outings, and educational speakers) and to add more to suit their needs.

The first phrase of our mission describes enhancing the quality of life for seniors and we achieve this every week. Each month provided an exceptional outing or event. Some of the highlights included the Denver Art Museum’s Cartier exhibit and two trips to the BDT Stage dinner theater for “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Buddy Holly”. A popular outing each summer is to The Old Gallery in Allenspark, where the newly remodeled building housed “Side by Side by Sondheim”. Central City Opera’s big voices and grand scale also thrilled us.

Some of us learned swing dance steps with live big band music at the Avalon in Boulder or marveled at the well-trained professional and student mix on Boulder Ballet’s newly decorated set of “The Nutcracker”.

Films transported us all over the world via the Boulder International Film Festival, through the “Live From the Met” Opera, at the Matinee Monday show at Backdoor Theater, and in the photos of John Fielder accompanied by the live orchestra of the Colorado Music Festival.

Luncheon speakers taught us about the life of a State Senator, how judges are recommended in voters’ blue books, issues surrounding the death penalty, nutrition, food safety, foot care, hearing devices, and frauds/scams. We are a little more tech savvy thanks to specialized library programs brought to us. At offsite programs, we learned about Parkinson’s, caregiving concerns, legal issues, housing, and medical concerns, as well as participating in Senior Day at The Capitol.

In addition to enjoying over 3,700 meals cooked with love by our own Chef Kim and friends, we picnicked outdoors at the Blue on Blue Gardens, and stuffed ourselves at a Dim Sum restaurant in Denver.

We served over 375 people through our meals and programs this year, half of them new to us since the July introduction of the Mountain MidLife program. This doesn’t begin to count those who benefitted from our community connection outreach events, like the hundreds of all ages who attend our three pancake breakfast weekends or our Holiday Mountain Market, which moves nearly $45,000 through our local economy in a single weekend. Each event generates a raffle that awards hundreds of dollars to lucky winners.

Thank you to the nearly 400 participants in our programs this past year and to the many seniors who offer their fabulous energy to the great works of local nonprofits and government agencies. More big hugs and thanks extend to the many individuals, businesses, agencies, and organizations which support us each year to keep our seniors healthy, active, and involved.  Watch for an exciting year ahead as our organization turns 20!

The best of wisdom, success, health and happiness to all in the new year!

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Everyone is invited to the Nederland Area Seniors luncheon at the Nederland Community Center at noon. A donation of $4 is requested from those over 60 years of age, $8.25 all others, and all seniors are welcome regardless of ability to pay. Please make reservations by 4pm Friday for Monday lunch and 4pm Monday for Wednesday lunch at 303-258-0799.