Bay Seniors is seeking a part-time Communications Coordinator. Click here for details. Please apply by March 18.
Job opportunity with Bay Seniors
Party at the Market
The good news is that local gardeners seem able to count on a good rain every Tuesday.
The bad news is that the forecast for rain has forced us to postpone Party at the Market for a second time. A new date, sometime in September, will be confirmed in our September newsletter.
When we’re able to hold Party at the Market (third time’s the charm!), it will include additional great flea market finds we’ve continued to collect, and even more jewellery, books, art cards, and other good stuff, along with music by Brian C Folk Music.
The event will (eventually) be presented by the Tantallon Village Farmers Market, the Seniors Association of St. Margaret’s Bay, the Community Enterprise Centre, Peggy’s Cove Area Festival of the Arts, and the Western Halifax Community Learning Network.
We promise, it will be worth the wait.
Note: Purchases can be made at the flea market at the CEC by cash only. The Tantallon Village Farmers Market now offers Market Dollars (photo, above). Buy these by etransfer or credit at the Lodestone Soap/Heppy Pies booth near the market entrance and use them just like cash at all market vendor locations.
Summertime reminders
Don’t forget to gather flowers, plants and leaves to press and dry for a card-making workshop in the fall, when the Tuesday Drop-in Program returns. Find some good tips for selecting and pressing here.
Our monthly members’ meetings will also be back in September, with speakers, refreshments, music, and more.
Our Bay Seniors Info Centre remains open through the summer months at the Community Enterprise Centre, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 am to 2 pm. Stop by or call 902-820-3334 to get information on services for seniors in our area – or just to chat to our friendly volunteer on duty.
Remember to renew your membership, so you can participate in all the member events and activities Bay Seniors offers. To renew, stop by the Community Enterprise Centre, weekdays, 9 am to 4 pm, or email centre@bayseniors.ca. Membership is $10/person/year. Not sure if your membership is current? Call 902-820-3334 Tuesdays or Thursdays, 10 am to 2 pm, to have an Info Centre volunteer check for you.
The newsletter team wants your summertime stories and photos. Please keep in touch and share your best summer moments to include in our August and September newsletters. Email sharon@bayseniors.ca.
May 31 Seniors Care Grant, plus an exciting opportunity to use the funds
The Department of Seniors and Long Term Care offers a $500 grant for everything from snow removal and small home repairs to house cleaning and grocery delivery. The grant is available to all seniors 65 and older with a household net income of $37,500 or less. The application process is simple, and can be done online or by mail, but applications must be submitted by May 31. See grant details here: beta.novascotia.ca/apply-help-household-costs-seniors-care-grant .
We’re eager to help answer your questions about eligible services, help eligible members apply online, or print out applications.
Our Home Maintenance Program is also offering an exciting new opportunity for how you could use your grant. One of our local partner organizations is donating skilled labour to qualifying seniors for necessary repairs that address health and safety concerns. The Seniors Grant would be used only to cover necessary materials. Some eligibility qualifications apply.
Email homemaintenance@bayseniors.ca or call 902-820-3334 for more information.
Bay Expo is just two weeks away
Shown above, one of the many things donated to our Bay Expo flea market, which will offer everything from rare collectibles to useful things you’ll reach for every day.
With more than 35 interesting exhibits, a silent auction with lots of wonderful items, fun children’s activities, tasty refreshments, and tables and more tables overflowing with amazing flea market finds and jewellery, everyone involved with this popular community event can’t wait to welcome you to Bay Expo 2022.
Conscious of COVID, our organizing committee is setting up and managing the event with health and safety in mind. Please remember to bring your mask.
Put Bay Expo on your calendar, and we hope to see you on Saturday, May 28 from 11 am to 3 pm at Estabrooks Community Hall in Lewis Lake.
Home Maintenance Directory
Our Home Maintenance Program offers a number of components to support area seniors to remain comfortably and safely in their own homes.
Our Home Maintenance Directory lists businesses that provide house and yard services in our area. Already familiar with some of these service providers? Please consider giving the business a rating and review on our site. (Note: you will be asked to give your name and email address, but your email will not be published.)
If you’re looking for a fee-for-service handyperson to complete house or yard maintenance tasks, but don’t need a licensed contractor, get in touch with us at homemaintenance@bayseniors.ca. And if you’re a handyperson interested in being added to our casual labour list, please get in touch.
Are you interested in connecting with other seniors in your neighbourhood to give and get a little help with those tasks that require an extra pair of hands? Please email homemaintenance@bayseniors.ca for more information.
Take to the Trail With NS Walks
NS Walks kicked off its first walk for the Tantallon area on the morning of Tuesday, November 9, with eight walkers enjoying a 30-minute walk along the St. Margaret’s Bay Trail, led by Bay Seniors members Elaine Perrot and Linda Alderdice. Walks are every Tuesday, weather permitting, at 10:30 am, starting off at the parking lot behind the CEC.
In the event of bad weather, walkers are welcome to join Bay Seniors members walking the perimeter inside the Black Point Community Centre.
Seniors Home Maintenance Program
The Seniors Association of St. Margaret’s Bay is partnering with several other community organizations to assist local seniors with finding solutions to home maintenance needs.
The Seniors Home Maintenance Program is an all volunteer effort consisting of 3 phases to be developed through 2021 and 2022.
Village Self Help
The Seniors Association will ask Members who are interested in offering and receiving help for do-it-yourself small home maintenance projects with other Members in their local area. The list of interested self-help participants will be shared with others in their local area. (We have to find a way for self-help participants to communicate with each other when someone has a project where they wish to have some help.)
Home repair assistance for those in financial need
The Seniors Association is partnering with Helping Hands St. Margaret’s Bay, a community group who have a number of skilled trades people as volunteers. Senior residents who require necessary repairs to maintain a safe home can be considered for assistance with accessing government assistance programs, labour assistance from Helping Hands volunteers and/or assistance with the purchase of home repair materials. Eligibility qualifications will apply.
A local services directory
Volunteers at the Community Enterprise Centre (CEC) and the Seniors Association will collect a directory of local services and companies who perform home maintenance and yard care services. Companies offering a discount and/or free estimates for seniors will be featured. The directory can be found here: bayseniors.ca/localdirectory
If you are interested in helping get the Seniors Home Maintenance Program up and running please contact HomeMaintenance@bayseniors.ca or call the Seniors Info Centre at 902-820-3334 and mention “Home Maintenance”.
For insurance purposes all participants in the Seniors Home Maintenance Program must be Members of the Seniors Association of St. Margaret’s Bay. Membership application can be made through the Seniors Info Centre office at centre@bayseniors.ca tel. 902-820-3334.
Volunteer Opportunities with Bay Seniors
Sewing Volunteers: The sewing team is looking for a few new recruits! Right now, the team is making fabric placemats. You supply the sewing machine, and we supply the instructions and materials. Sewing volunteers work at home, and donate whatever time they have available, whether that’s a little or a lot. To volunteer or for more information, email centre@bayseniors.ca.
Computer List Manager: Do you have anywhere from a little to a lot of Excel experience? We’re looking for a volunteer to help set up and/or manage several lists we use to track interests, contacts, and participants in a variety of ongoing Bay Seniors’ member activities. This volunteer job can be done from home with an occasional visit to the Bay Seniors office in the Community Enterprise Centre (in the Redmond’s Home Hardware plaza). Estimated time is approximately one hour per week. If this interests you, please contact Fred Dolbel at fred@bayseniors.ca.
New Bay Seniors Drop-In
Starting on September 21, and every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon, Bay Seniors is at the Black Point Fire Station for our new Tuesday Morning Drop-In.
The firehall’s beautiful activity room offers a place for members to gather, chat, play board games or cards, or work on handcrafts. There is no fee, and pre-registration is not required.
The space is large enough to provide social distancing, and masks are required. Because of COVID precautions, refreshments will not be provided — we hope to be able to offer those in the future — but you’re welcome to bring your own personal beverage.
The Black Point Firehall is at 8579 St. Margaret’s Bay Road, less than 15 minutes from the Community Enterprise Centre.