The Brookline Senior Center just earned the Charles River Regional Chamber's 2026 Nonprofit of the Year award — a fitting milestone in the same year the center marks 25 years serving more than 13,000 older adults in town.
Nearly 200 business and community leaders gathered at the Hilton Garden Inn on June 24 for the chamber's inaugural Brookline Night, the regional chamber's first awards ceremony in town since absorbing the former Brookline Chamber of Commerce. Director Emily J. Williams, Senior Center Foundation Board President Betsy Pollock, and Foundation Development Director Deborah Good Miller accepted the award on stage.
"We are deeply honored to be recognized alongside so many outstanding nonprofit organizations serving our community," Williams said. "This nomination reflects the dedication of our staff, volunteers, community partners, donors, and participants who make the Brookline Senior Center a welcoming and vibrant place for all who enter our doors."
The Senior Center shared the spotlight with Bar Lunette (Restaurant of the Year), Eureka! Puzzles and Games (Retailer of the Year), Viking Sports (Community Choice Award), and Chobee Hoy Award recipient Paul Epstein. Town Administrator Chas Carey noted the recognition in his July newsletter, calling it encouraging to see local institutions celebrated "at a time when faith in government is low."
The award lands as the Senior Center deepens its role in the town's aging support network. Williams, a UMass Boston Gerontology alumna, led a partnership with the university's Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging to survey 5,000 older Brookline residents in four languages this spring, with a full needs-assessment report due this fall. Brookline itself has been ahead of the curve for over a decade — the town became the first in New England admitted to the World Health Organization's Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities back in 2012, and its Age-Friendly Cities Committee is now working on its redesignation application, with the Select Board signing a letter of support in June.
Open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Senior Center runs everything from chess and ping pong to ESL classes, an acoustic jam session, and the Coolidge Corner Community Chorus. Its Equipment Loan Fund distributed more than 600 pieces of medical equipment in fiscal year 2024 alone, saving residents an estimated $30,000.
The Charles River Regional Chamber represents more than 1,200 businesses and nonprofits across Brookline, Newton, Needham, Watertown and Wellesley.
Coming up:
- Sept. 8 — Age-Friendly Cities Committee meeting, 1 p.m. via Zoom
- Sept. 27 — Brookline Day in Coolidge Corner
