NEDERLAND - The Nederland Area Seniors (NAS) held their last In-Person Senior Lunch of the year at the Nederland Community Center on Wednesday, December 18, 2024.

The weekly event brings together the gregarious members and volunteers of the organization to enjoy each other’s company, as well as to celebrate their achievements. 

The seniors of the Peak to Peak gather to gab, to share and discuss the goings-on around the mountain. Rumors, worries, laments, praises—all that can go through the sharp minds which carry such priceless knowledge and experience.

Charlene and Gaylord Morrison celebrated their 63-year anniversary during the luncheon, and Marianne Hill was honored in a shoutout to all those with December birthdays. Hill got to celebrate her December 26 birthday a little early with a piece of beautiful and sweet strawberry cake, baked by Bright Heart Catering.

Every In-Person meal for the NAS is provided by Word of Mouth catering. Their menu for December 18 included a delicious and hearty chili con carne, served with a palate-pleasing salad with balsamic dressing, and a fluffy piece of cornbread. 

This luncheon was a special one, as it was the first time that the NAS awarded the Outstanding Nederland Area Seniors Award to one of their exceptional members.

The idea for the award came from Nederland resident, volunteer, and NAS member Jim Navratil, who also had the beautiful award made. Director Reba Mitchell and Board Director Guy Falsetti presented this first-ever award to Serene Karplus. 

“Serene has consistently been a leader, helper, and inspiration to others in the Nederland community for over 22 years,” Roger Shepherd wrote in his letter of nomination for Karplus. 

“Serene is widely recognized and respected by seniors and non-seniors alike as a person who has served and benefited our community in such a wide diversity of ways.

“She continues to volunteer and lead frequently across a variety of activities, to lead hikes on our beautiful mountain trails, discoursing along the way about the history of the trails and region, identifying for all along the way the diverse variety of flowers, berries, trees, and other plants,” Shepherd continued. 

“I can think of no one person in our senior community more deserving of this first year’s Outstanding Nederland Area Seniors Award! Thank you, Serene, for all your many contributions and helping to build our community!”

Karplus’s many successes as a volunteer, organizer, and leader within the Nederland community were recognized by the NAS.  

She served in 2002 as Executive Director of the Nederland Area Chamber of Commerce, growing the organization, which was key in the organization of many big events, including Frozen Dead Guy Days, High Peaks Arts Festival, and the Neder Nederland Race, into a fruitful resource for local businesses with up to 150 members. 

Karplus also served on the board of the Peak to Peak Healthy Communities Project; on the Peak to Peak Human Services Committee; co-founded the Nederland Area Nonprofit Alliance; taught programs offered by the Area Agency on Aging; started the 15-year strong Life Stories Writing Group; and authored many grants that benefitted the community.

Karplus’s work with the NAS began in 2007, where she served as Director for 12 years. In that time she developed outreach programs ranging from organized meals to hikes, to reach younger seniors. The successful program, which in her time of service held 1,400 meal events, was recognized by the State Unit on Aging. 

She managed the NAS Holiday Mountain Market for eight years; wrote the “Senior Scene” weekly column in The Mountain-Ear for over 12 years; designed the new Mountain Peak Life logo; and handled the organization’s grant writing, fundraising, donor development, promotion, and publicity. 

  “Under Serene’s leadership, the NAS organization grew to serve meals to 500 seniors a year,” Shepherd mentioned in his letter. Serene continues to serve the organization as an active member, participant, and on-call adviser, assisting behind the scenes with the recent Lions Club/NAS pancake breakfast for the Ned150 celebration, and acquiring and coordinating the distribution of free senior tickets to Boulder Ballet’s Nutcracker and Boulder International Film Festival’s selected films.

Additionally, Karplus is also an accomplished artist and photographer. Her work is often on display in the Art at the Center shows at the Nederland Community Center, and she recently hosted a solo show of wildflower photographs at the Nederland Community Library.

Karplus thanked the crowd and stated that she wouldn’t have been able to achieve as much as she has if not for the inspirational members of the NAS. 

For more information about NAS and their In-Person meal programs, visit https://mountainpeaklife.org.

If you are interested in attending a lunch, email at info@mountainpeaklife.org or call 303-258-0799. Please RSVP the Monday before lunch by 5 p.m. A $5 donation is suggested for all those aged 60 or older; guests under 60 pay $15.06.