Update –Friday 3/20/2020

We will be closed this weekend, as normal. 

Thank you to everyone who has called to volunteer their time and especially to everyone who has donated to our nutrition programs!  One of the best ways to help is to stay home and stay safe!

With the current isolation order, we are trying to keep our staff healthy by limiting the number of people we are in contact with.  Therefore, we have eliminated as many volunteers as possible for the time being.   Thank you for your understanding.

We are continuing our nutrition services Monday – Friday.  Home delivered meals are available via our Meals on Wheels program.  We are also continuing our curbside to-go meals.  All of our meals are FREE and prepared fresh daily by our chef.  If you need a meal, please call us at 208-788-3468. 

Beginning the week of March 23, we will be starting to assist with errands and grocery delivery so our seniors can stay in their homes.  If you need assistance, please call us at 208-788-3468.

 If you need to talk to someone or have questions, the Senior Connection Friends Line will be available from 2-3 pm Monday – Friday by calling 208-788-3468. 

We anticipate being closed for the next 2-3 weeks at a minimum.  It is a fluid situation, so we will keep you updated.

If you would like to help, please consider donating to our Meals on Wheels program.  We will be adding people to our routes as well as adding the meals to go so additional funding is critical!  www.seniorconnectionidaho.org/donate

Update – Monday 3/16/2020

Beginning on Tuesday, 3/17/2020, we will be offering meals to go.  Meals will be available from 11:30 am – 1 pm Monday – Friday.    Please call us by 8 am on the day of pick up (or call the day before!) so we can plan for the appropriate number of meals.  Please call us again when you arrive at the Senior Connection and we will bring the meal to your car.  Curbside service!  208-788-3468

Our Meals on Wheels program will continue.  If you need a home delivered meal, please call us.  208-788-3468

If you need to talk to someone or have questions, the Senior Connection Friends Line will be available from 2-3 pm Monday – Friday by calling 208-788-3468. 

We anticipate being closed for the next 3 weeks.  It is a fluid situation, so we will keep you updated.

If you would like to help, please consider donating to our Meals on Wheels program.  We will be adding people to our routes as well as adding the meals to go so additional funding is critical!  www.seniorconnectionidaho.org/donate

Following the announcement from the South Central Public Health District that a case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Blaine County, The Senior Connection will be closed until further notice.  We are exercising an abundance of caution in making this decision.

If you are in need of a meal, please give us a call at 208-788-3468 and we will assess adding you to our Meals on Wheels program. 

Our homecare services will continue with modified schedules.  Joanne and Jovita will be updating our clients.

If you need to talk to someone or have questions, the Senior Connection Friends Line will be available from 2-3 pm Monday – Friday by calling 208-788-3468. 

We will continue to monitor and update you as the situation progresses.

If you would like to help, please consider donating to our Meals on Wheels program.  We will be adding people to our routes and additional funding is critical!  www.seniorconnectionidaho.org/donate

Executive Director

              Teresa started with the Senior Connection on February 8, 2016.  Since she was a young child, she always cherished and adored her aging family members.   She remembers, fondly, spending countless hours at her grandmother’s house (Gramma Too) which included visits from her great grandmother, Thea.  With an interest in ancestry, she would look at the same family photo albums over and over with her Gramma to hear the stories of her relatives and Teresa would listen intently when her Great Grandma Thea would tell her the story of how she moved from Norway as a young teenager (all stemming from being made fun of at a school dance for having a cleft lip and reaching out to relatives living in the US to move here.  Her parents made her follow-through on the inquiry and the rest is history). 

Fast forward to 2009 when Teresa’s father was passing from cancer.  After receiving the compassionate services from Hospice here and in Minnesota, the seed was planted that she wanted to work in the aged care industry.  It took her 7 years to find the perfect job with the most beautiful and experienced people inside the doors of the Senior Connection.  After 29 years with the YMCA, she found her “2^nd Wind” career and her most purposeful and rewarding job to date.  As the Executive Director, a big part of her job is to ensure adequate resources and funding to support our mission, program and services.  This requires helping the community to understand the impact of our work and cultivating their engagement in time, talent and treasure. 

Outside of work, Teresa has another full-time job which is being a mom to Lizzie (15) and Winston (12).  She doesn’t miss an athletic event or performing arts performance.  Last year, Lizzie and Winston won 1^st place in the middle school talent show!  Teresa has been married to her husband, Dave, for 15 years.  Dave is co-owner of Clearwater Landscaping, who graciously takes care of the Senior Connection property during the summer months, pro bono.  They also have three dogs, Teva, Goldie and Cruz.  Cruz was adopted from a Mountain Humane visit to the Senior Connection’s Connection Club in December 2016. 

Teresa’s favorite pastime is travelling.  Her “happy places” are visiting Minnesota to spend time with her mom and the rest of her family and friends, heading to Island Park to spend time at the Lipman Family cabin, Sugarloaf, on the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River and their annual family trip to Scottsdale, Arizona for Spring Break.  She would rather have on running shoes or hockey skates then a dress and heels.

She often boosts she has the “best job in the world” and feels this way because of the staff, volunteers, members and clients of the Senior Connection.  Some of her closet friendships were made in the walls of the center!