
Teen tutor Brendan Casey teaches senior Scott Dunzik how to work his laptop and perform various tasks at Mabel Kay Senior Center.
Modern technology like computers and phones can be difficult for seniors to navigate.
To help, the Mabel Kay Senior Center hosts Tech Tuesdays every Tuesday this summer from 9 a.m. to noon, with teenagers in the borough volunteering their time to help residents during 45-minute sessions. Their expertise includes use of laptops, phones and tablets; FaceTime and social media; silencing a phone; using email; and even selling items on Ebay.
Three teen volunteers can be accommodated per time slot, meaning that every week, 12 seniors get assistance.
The idea for the program came when Mabel Kay’s Executive Director, Sheri Siegel, sought ways to help her son’s girlfriend find summer volunteer opportunities.
“The first one was a bit of a learning experience,” she acknowledged of Tech Tuesday sessions, “but still good … And then we kind of straightened out the strategy of the timing. It was hard in the beginning to figure out how much time people needed …
“Initially, we were trying to do an open house, kind of come in as needed. But now we’ve made it a little bit more formal.”
Siegel decided that having the teens volunteer at the senior center was a good idea because they would have more patience than the residents’ own families.
“Besides the fact that we’re connecting the generations, … a lot of times, the seniors will ask their kids or their grandkids for help,” she explained. “People are less patient with their own parents and grandparents. So I have these teenagers who are so patient with them and literally answer everything. And if they don’t know the answer right away, they’ll look it up.”
The center’s program will extend through the end of August. Teens interested in participating can contact Sheri Siegel at ssiegel@haddonfield-nj.gov, at (856) 354-8789, or in person.