Senior center becoming community hub in Talkeetna area

Senior centers can be for more than just seniors. In rural areas that lack other community infrastructure, that is especially true.

The nonprofit Upper Susitna Seniors Inc. has been serving, and growing with, the Talkeetna-area community since 1986. Its commitment to the entire resident base can be seen in the name of its building – the Upper Susitna Community and Senior Center.

Community involvement is central to the organization’s mission. In addition to being a resource for the elderly population, the organization provides a safe place where the community can come together for meetings, classes, and special events. That mission got a big boost recently with a $5 million federal grant through the office of Sen. Lisa Murkowski. That grant will cover the cost of 10 new housing units and the addition of shower and laundry facilities.

Kevin O’Connor, the Upper Susitna Seniors’ executive director, said grant funding over the years has been critical to helping the organization grow with the community. The organization’s good work over the years has helped attract regular grants from an impressive array of foundations and other grantors.

“The Mat-Su Health Foundation has been a key player in funding various activities in the Upper Susitna Valley,” he said. “Their dedication to the health and well being of local residents has helped the community and Senior Center keep operations moving smoothly, helped reroof our senior housing, and assisted in providing services and activities to local individuals and families.”

The nonprofit Mat-Su Health Foundation has supported the organization with $530,072 of funding since 2018. That total includes nearly $147,000 this year designed to support activities and nutrition programs for northern Valley residents.

As part owner of the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, the Health Foundation has returned a share of its profits to the community through grants to nonprofit groups around the Valley. Since its inception in 2007, the Foundation has invested more than $130 million in community health and wellness initiatives.

That investment has been a boon to seniors in the Upper Susitna Valley. The senior center’s Meals on Wheels program now offers food delivery three days a week, and services have been expanded southward to Caswell.

For most of its existence, Upper Susitna Seniors was made possible only through the tireless work of volunteers. But over the years, community support met increased demand. As the area’s aging population increased, so did financial assistance.

The Talkeetna and Susitna community councils, Talkeetna Bachelor’s Society, Alaska Community Foundation, MEA and MTA foundations, as wells as the Mat-Su Health Foundation, have all been partners in growing the senior center and helping to expand services provided.

“Their involvement is a positive influence in the lives of many who call this area home and is one with whom we are blessed to partner,” O’Connor said. “Their commitment to us has been steady, and we are fortunate to have such a positive relationship.”

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