• Center 50+ WOW vans bring services to where older people are, an innovation for senior centers.
• Wellness focus for older adults addresses physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, occupational and environmental health and wellbeing with curiosity and purpose.
• National Institute of Senior Centers honors outstanding efforts made by senior centers across the nation

Salem, Ore. – Bringing services to where older people are earned the Center 50+ Wellness on Wheels (WOW) program a Modernizing Senior Centers Innovation Award from the National Council on Aging (NCOA)’s National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC) Program of Excellence. Center 50+ is one of seven senior centers recognized nationally as going above and beyond to provide older adults in their communities with helpful resources and opportunities to prevent social isolation.

“We’re so proud to accept this award honoring all our incredible staff working each day with the clients we serve,” said Marilyn Daily-Blair, Center 50+ Director. “Older adults deserve much more than just a place to occupy their time, which is why we offer a range of resources and activities, from Health and Fitness, Lifelong Learning, Respite and Caregiving Support, Wellness on Wheels/Mobile Senior Center and so much more.”

The Program of Excellence awards are judged by a panel of peers and NISC affiliate members. The competition is divided into the following seven categories:

• Marketing/Public Relations
• Social and Support Services
• Health and Wellness
• Intergenerational
• Nutrition
• Technology, Virtual and Hybrid Programming
• Modernizing Senior Centers Innovation

The idea of senior centers being a philosophy rather than a place is innovative. Knowing that there are reasons why people may not attend a senior center, Center 50+ is removing those barriers by taking services to where people live and feel most comfortable, their neighborhoods.

Wellness on Wheels

The WOW (Wellness on Wheels) Van, or Mobile Senior Center, recognizes that community is built where people live and thrive. Also, Center 50+ has nearly reached capacity in its 30,000 square foot facility in northeast Salem – two reasons that led to the concept of the mobile senior center.

The mobile senior center takes advantage of beautiful parks in every area of town, unused clubhouses, empty alleyways and neighborhood hubs where services can be delivered. Taking services into the neighborhoods allows the neighborhood to design the culture and environment. Center 50+ facilitates the activity, but the group and folks who live in that neighborhood lead the way (What language will we speak?  What food will we serve? What activities will we enjoy?).

The mobile senior center reaches an entirely new group that previously were served by a daily meal but did not benefit from other services.

By the Numbers

• From July 1, 2022-June 31, 2023, 143 volunteers logged 1,770 hours to reach 4,743 homebound older adults and 75 Friendly Call recipients, deliver 290 Friendship Boxes and holiday gifts, and send 5,244 handmade cards.
• Wellness on Wheels reached more than 8,000 older adults
• 13,000 seniors were served at the Center 50+ Facility.

More About Center 50+

All programs and services (on-site, off-site or remote) at Center 50+, the City of Salem’s Senior Center, are designed to help older adults live their best life now. The center looks at aging through a holistic lens using Ball University's 7-Dimensions of Wellness, a framework that allows individuals to explore their physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, occupational and environmental health and well-being with curiosity and purpose.

Center 50+ Program Guide

Center 50+ Facebook

Current and past award Program of Excellence winners