Senior Advisory Committee looking for new opportunities, members at upcoming AGM

By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on February 28, 2026.

asmith@medicinehatnews.com

The Senior Citizens Advisory Committee Foundation is looking to their future and hoping to secure fresh perspectives and new members at their upcoming AGM.

SCACF is an organization that focuses on improving the lives of seniors through funding small projects, says chairperson Marco Jansen.

Many of their projects include capital purchases and equipment aid that might otherwise be unachievable for smaller societies, but are not grand enough to catch the eye of government or Community Foundation of Southeastern Alberta funding.

“Some examples of things we’ve covered are Meals on Wheels. They come to us when they need to replace their packaging for delivering meals, and they’ll fill out the grant request, and then we’ll cover them for however many they need,” said Jansen.

“One of my favorite ones we’ve done just this past year was this seniors facility by the airport with a very active recreation program, and their residents really like floor hockey. Their sticks were all cracked and broken, so we helped replace them.”

Most of these funds are generated via a casino they run roughly every 15 months, says Jansen, though this comes with the issue of funds generated through casinos must be distributed within two years, or else they are to be returned to the government.

“We almost have the problem that we can’t give the money away fast enough,” said Jansen, emphasizing the organization would be thrilled to receive new requests to help them further distribute their funds to improve the lives of seniors.

The SCACF annual general meeting is set for March 24 at 2 p.m, located in the Veiner Centre craft room. Anyone aged 50 or older can be automatically registered at the door, and anyone who has attended a previous AGM is already registered. With several board members reaching their term limit, the foundation is eager to hopefully bring in new, enthusiastic members to keep things running smoothly.

While they do not currently accept younger members, Jansen says it’s something they may consider in future policy changes as he would like to encourage any younger residents who seek to connect with and aid seniors in the community.

“If anyone is at all interested in the foundation, or especially if they want more information on running for a position on the board, they are welcome to contact me directly,” said Jansen. “The email is chair.scacf@gmail.com.”

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