Over a decade in the making, The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Intergenerational Center at Chesapeake Grove is set to be completed next month. Saturday November 6th the Intergenerational Center will officially open their doors with a ribbon cutting ceremony and celebration. This facility and programming initiative is the only one of its kind on the Delmarva Peninsula.
The Chesapeake Grove Intergenerational Center will provide care to approximately 60 community children from 0-5 years old, operate as a senior center, and offer a program for individuals with disabilities. The center brings several services under one roof, including Delmarva Community Services and Delmarva Works and will be open to the community.
The space is designed specifically to address the modern citizens’ expectations for community services and facilities. The building layout was engineered to be welcoming, encourage spontaneous interactions, convey a community-like feeling, create new opportunities for senior activities and interests, and to encourage a family atmosphere among its staff and visitors. The goal for the facility is to encourage genuine interactions with everyone in the building. In similar facilities across the country, this model has been proven to be mutually therapeutic and beneficial for everyone involved.
The 42,000 square/ foot center is complete with a gift shop offering hand made crafts from its program participants, a coffee bar and lounge, masseuse, salon/barber shop, computer lab, an atrium, sunroom, meditation room, multiple activity rooms, and a combined dining room and atrium. The rooms were designed to allow free flow access to all those in the building under the 4 guiding principles of being healthy, being needed, being understood, and being accepted. The massive facility will also offer a full commercial kitchen that will service the daily meals at the center and will also be used to cook and package the 300 individual meals that are delivered each day all over Dorchester and Talbot County.
The center is expected to provide 50 new permanent job opportunities in the county including food service workers, instructors for activities, professional jobs, such as social workers, directors of childcare programs, maintenance, and CNA’s. There are also opportunities for community groups and businesses to use the multiple rooms, including the 3 board rooms, to have meetings, conferences, and receptions. For additional information about hosting your next gathering at the Intergenerational Center, contact Mary Handley at 410-221-1900 or maryh@dcsdct.org.
To donate, volunteer, or become involved click here.
For more information on the Intergenerational Center click here.
To watch the most recent news story, click here.
