Our History

To support seniors (60+) in the community, the Council on Aging was established by a vote at the Duxbury Annual Town Meeting in 1984. It started as a part-time department focusing its efforts on providing service to homebound seniors in the areas of information, transportation, and food service.  Operations were conducted from a small office, first located in the basement of the Town Hall and then the Girl Scout House.  A small group of citizens organized and formed the Friends of the Council on Aging.  They, in turn, marshaled a fundraising effort and purchased a bus that enabled seniors to shop and travel to doctor’s appointments.  This was the first of many fundraising activities that have been organized by the Friends.

In 1993, the Duxbury Council on Aging accepted the offer of space in the Lower Alden School, which led to the creation of the first Senior Center. With increased space, the Duxbury Senior Center was able to expand the series available to seniors.

In 1994. Planning for a permanent home for the Senior Center began. In 1996, the Town voted to create and hire a seasoned professional to fill the Director position. In 1997. During the Annual Town Meeting, the Council on Aging received approval of their budget which led to the design and construction of a new state-of-the-art Senior Center.  At that time, the Friends of the Council on Aging pledged that if the town built the facility, they would furnish it.  The capital campaign began shortly after the Town Meeting and close to $300,000 was pledged by citizens and local businesses.  The Friends are proud to report that all pledges from this campaign were fulfilled.

In November of 2001, the new Center was opened, fully furnished and ready to meet the needs of the growing senior population. The success we have experienced in the last 14 years can be measured by the increase in participation and the expanded offering of interesting and diverse programs.

In 2019, after the success of the COA's for 35 years supporting the senior community in Duxbury, and due to tremendous growth, the Town voted to add a 4,160 square foot addition to the building. The construction started at the end of 2018 and was completed in June 2019 and commemorated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in July. Among the attendees of this festive event were State Senator Patrick O'Connor, State Representative Josh Cutler, and State Representative Kathleen LaNatra. Our Town Manager Rene Read and Town Selectboard Member Ted Flynn helped do the honor of the ribbon-cutting.

As the Center grew and expanded, it became important for Center to implement a Long-Range Plan, and the following five goals of the plan will be the guiding force going forward: We are a welcoming community for all; we strive to be the best in programming; we are good stewards of our resources; we will effectively communicate our message, and we will work to facilitate independence for older adults. 

The Duxbury Senior Center has been awarded National Accreditation by the National Institute of Senior Centers three times, most recently in 2020. The Duxbury Senior Center is one in only 41 centers, out of 15,000 national centers that have been accredited three times, and only 143 centers have been accredited at this time. The accreditation report noted the Duxbury Senior Center’s strong staff and cited major ongoing support from the town. The report also recognized the Center’s excellent array of programs and a commitment to helping older adults living with Alzheimer’s. The NISC gave credit to the Duxbury Senior Center’s response to the COVID crisis, saying that the Center “demonstrated resilience and creativity in responding to the current very challenging time."