Our Christmas Giving Program is at the heart of what we do for seniors. It is thirty-five years strong. The Big Wrap is the day that volunteers and members meet at the Dennis Senior Center, with their own scissors and giving spirit, to wrap over 2,000 presents in a matter of a few hours. Each present is thoughtfully chosen and paid for by the Friends over the course of the year. We give a Christmas bag of  individually wrapped gifts to 130 Dennis seniors who live alone or are in need. On the Saturday following The Big Wrap, the board of directors along with many community volunteers load up their cars and hand-deliver the Christmas bags to seniors—many of whom are waiting at the door for just a visitor. Each bag is decorated by a child, be it a girl scout or student at the Dennis Union Church.

If you would like to become part of this Giving Program in December, please call our office at (508) 385-5376 or email dennisfod@hotmail.com.

The Friends decided to create a celebration of early summer – a joyous event where seniors could invite their friends and families to a big party. So, in 2013, we held our first Jazz in June, filling the largest room at the Dennis Senior Center to full capacity. With flowers picked from our gardens, Japanese lanterns and white lights, someone thought we were preparing for a wedding party! The room is known as Howell Hall, named after our first Board President, Oren G. Howell. In honor of the late Bob Hayes, his grandson, Kareem Sanjaghi and his jazz quartet dazzled the crowd of 90 people. A luncheon is served and there is a raffle of prizes and gifts.

Please check back for updates on how to register for this not to be missed event!

In memory of one of our early Board Directors, George DeShaw, we hold a golf tournament every year. This is our major fundraiser for the year, but as George, who began it over twenty-five years ago would like to say, “it is an event for friends, families, and neighbors to gather, play a good game, enjoy a hearty lunch and give to a favorite charity.” The tournament is held on a Friday in September at either the Dennis Highlands or Dennis Pines Golf Course.  To play in the tournament or become a valued Tournament, Tee or Gift sponsor click here for more info.

As part of our mission, the Friends also help seniors through our Planned Giving Program. Each year we award several grants to local  nonprofits whose objectives are like ours, and we ask them to use the money for Dennis residents. Past recipients have included Elder Services of Cape Cod, Alzheimer’s Family Support Center of Cape Cod, Sight Loss Services of Cape Cod, St. Vincent de Paul Society, and the Golden Age Program at the Dennis Center for Active Living, and the Visiting Nurse Association.
Click here to make a donation.

In 2012, the Friends published our first quarterly newsletter called The Friends of Dennis Senior Citizens. Although we had co-founded the popular Cranberry Scoop in 1980 along with the Dennis Council on Aging, we remain a private charity, giving funds to the COA, but not becoming an organization run by the Town of Dennis.

It was now time for us to get the news out in a different way—we have been here for the seniors of Dennis as private citizens for almost forty years. We help individual seniors in ways that public entities are not always able—we can write a check quickly if the financial need is there. But our message is not just about need—we are here to promote a quality of life for seniors living in our midst.

The Friends’ newsletter now reaches beyond Dennis and the surrounding Cape towns, with friends as far away as California and Virginia, joining us as members. The Big Wrap, Golf Tournament and Jazz in June are “big tent” events that welcome everyone, not just Dennis residents. So this newsletter is our voice, speaking directly to seniors, the friends of seniors, the children and neighbors of seniors, with articles on history, safety concerns, current events, tax and financial issues, a veterans’ column and even a section on gardening. Click here to find out how to receive our newsletter.

A long winter can be hard on seniors who are house bound, so we found a way to bring a glow to early March by giving 400 daffodils to Meals on Wheels clients through Elder Services. In early March, daffodils are donated to us by Blossoms of Cape Cod in Dennis Village. Our board members then wrap beautiful daffodil bouquets with pastel tissue and ribbons. The flowers then go to Meals-On-Wheels and get delivered to Dennis seniors to brighten their day and wish them a Happy Spring!

When the Outreach Coordinator from the Dennis Council on Aging approached the Friends about supporting this Food Bank program, many of our Board members became its first volunteers, distributing the much- welcomed bags of food to Dennis seniors. We have also made a monetary donation and purchased Christmas gifts for clients in 2018.

The Brown Bag Program distributes these bags to Dennis seniors at the Dennis Senior Center on the first Friday of every month.

In 2020 we gave an annual grant to combat the growing food insecurity among our seniors and have raised funds and awareness of this need in 2021.

To give the gift of blood is precious, and as such, the Friends of Dennis Senior Citizens hold blood drives in October and April each year, sponsored through the American Red Cross. We hold our Red Cross Blood Drives at the Church of the Nazarene in South Dennis. The blood drives are also announced in our quarterly newsletter. To learn how to receive our newsletters click here.

Educating seniors on matters of safety and well-being has long been a goal of the Friends. We have written and talked to seniors in Dennis about the importance of having a File-of-Life envelope which we purchase and can be picked up free of charge at our office. This 4×5 paper file is inserted into a red envelope, magnetized and easily placed on a refrigerator door. The trifold card allows seniors to write their medications, allergies, doctors’ names, emergency contacts and any existing health issues or special instructions. Written information of this kind is vital to emergency personnel or first responders if someone is injured or unconscious. The File-of-Life packet can also be taken by a first responder or caregiver to the hospital, providing instant access to medical conditions.

We encourage all seniors interested in the Lock Box to call the Dennis Fire Department at 508-398-0363, extension 36. The Friends do not provide the Lock Box. Simply put, a Lock Box can prevent a forced entry into your home if the door is locked and first responders cannot get in. It saves time, expense and damage. The steel box is attached to your home (near the entrance) and holds a key to your front door. In Dennis, only the Town of Dennis Fire Department and ambulance personnel have the special key which opens a Lock Box.

Our founders believed we “are our brother’s keeper,” and we continue to help vulnerable seniors in Dennis with financial assistance. We often pay a dental bill, car repair, home or some other emergency need. Referral and eligibility for this assistance is often determined by social service outreach personnel. Click here if you wish to make a donation.

The Friends can help pay for Cape Cod Medical Alarm bracelets and necklaces for those Dennis seniors who are in need of financial assistance through Cape Cod Lifeline. A lifeline bracelet or necklace has a help button that is easy to press, providing peace of mind to the senior who wears it as well as family and friends who may not be close at hand if a fall or injury occurs.

Although we continue to give the Dennis Council on Aging an annual grant, File-of-Life packets and pay monthly bills for Golden Age attendees, from time to time, we also give money for building repairs or special requests such as carpeting for the Ickis room, new blinds for Howell Hall and a seating bench for seniors near the entrance to the Dennis Senior Center.

The Friends continue to pay for tracking bracelets worn by those Dennis seniors who wander as a result of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia if there is a financial need. These bracelets can save the lives of seniors who often wander toward water, fall or are disoriented far from home. In addition, caregivers are given a safety net knowing that “proven technology” can lead to finding a loved one.

Believing that fellowship, engagement and learning is important to senior living, the Friends can pay for seniors in Dennis who wish to join these classes at the Dennis Senior Center but cannot afford the tuition. Golden Age classes involve music, exercise, current events and the joy of staying independent while making new friends.

The Friends discovered a little known MA law which exempts all Massachusetts’ seniors from paying for 411 directory assistance calls. We have forms in our office that are free from the two telephone carriers on the Cape—Verizon and Comcast. They are simple to fill out and we will instruct you.