With funding from the Blandin Foundation, Friendship Forever has been able to create a project that connects older folks in Winona through a virtual exercise class. The Friendship’s Forever Project strives to create a healthier community by actively engaging older adults living at home with limited mobility, students from Winona State University and volunteers from the Friendship Center in a virtual outreach program that offers opportunities for socialization and learning through videoconferencing. (The grant provided portable connectivity which is a major obstacle for these older adult. The grant also provided rich programming while more free programs are developed for this population.)

The program reached 15 older, isolated local residents. It’s a one-of-a-kind project, although they are presenting to a group of Midwestern colleagues later this fall to help spread the word. It’s been a successful way to extend the value of the local senior center to former residents who have lost some mobility and have not been able to visit. It’s a great way to keep people moving, keep them connected to their friends and cohorts and provides a motivation to get online to a demographic that has been slower to get online.

See it in action…