A Game Of Telephone

A small town in New York has adapted its programming for all ages, now they just have to spread the word

Clay’s senior community gathers for one of the many pre-pandemic programs. Courtesy of the town of Clay

COVID-19 yanked the rug out from under a small town in New York overnight, and while the resulting uncertainty continues to cloud the way forward after months, the parks and recreation team has innovated new ways to keep their community connected.

Seniors get together to make tie-dye shirts as one of the many pre-pandemic art events. Courtesy of the town of Clay

“Initially, we were closed for two weeks and that on its own seemed like an eternity,” says Chrissy Clancy, an employee of the department. “Then each new day became been a new stretch of eternity.”

Clancy is the senior coordinator for the town of Clay. She oversees the recreational programming for her community of seniors and manages the local communal garden. Before the pandemic, Clay seniors had any number of programs available to them each week.

“I more or less have my fingers in all the pies that are the arts,” Clancy says.

The adjustment was difficult, but Clancy and her team adapted well. Now, they work to help their community of seniors adapt while the rest of the town and the world quickly pivot to communicating in the virtual space, with zoom calls and digital workflows.

“Seniors are more likely to be on the telephone—they're a good source of getting info out by word of mouth,” Clancy says. “The part that bothers me about this whole pandemic is that it really limits how many people I can contact and connect with.”

A small group of Clay seniors look out across the water. Courtesy of the town of Clay

Clancy contributed to the town’s new virtual recreation center which includes at-home programming for all ages. But Clancy has primarily been using her Facebook Page, Town of Clay Seniors, to communicate and promote weekly virtual events.

“There’s a lot of positive feedback on the adapting programming, we’re virtually holding hands,” Clancy says. “The pandemic might have moved more people to look for online programming, but the biggest challenge is not being able to reach everyone.”

To learn more about Clay’s virtual recreation center, read the full-length article in the upcoming Parks and Recreation Business fall issue.