HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Department of Aging has awarded the Oswayo Valley Senior Center in Shinglehouse with a grant to improve its programs, services and facility, Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Brockway, and state Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, announced on Wednesday.

The senior center has been awarded a grant in the amount of $20,327, which will be used to purchase kitchen equipment, computers, telecom equipment, tables and to update floor finishes.  The grant is being awarded through the Senior Community Center Grant Program.

In Pennsylvania there are more than 500 senior community centers across the 67 counties, and the grants are designed to help centers increase participation and provide innovative programs that attract a new generation of older Pennsylvanians.

“Senior centers within our region provide a critical service to our communities by offering a wide variety of programs and services to senior citizens and their families,” Scarnati said. “I’m very pleased that this grant will enable the Oswayo Valley Senior Center to further their mission of helping to meet the needs of older Pennsylvanians.”

For his part, Causer said when the state invests in a senior center, it is really investing in the health and safety of senior citizens.

“The support programs and social opportunities centers like Oswayo Valley offer to our residents are so valuable, both to the senior citizens and their family members,” said Causer.

Across the state, the Senior Community Center Grant Program is providing a total of $2 million through 38 grants from State Lottery funds for 2016-17. The projects will help to increase participation, provide innovative programs, attract a new generation of older adults, and provide a safe and healthy environment for participants.