Wired for Success – Computer Lab, New TV Donated by Local Families

-By Joseph Domelowicz

For the Transcript

Winthrop Council on Aging/Senior Center Director Nancy Williams was positively ecstatic this week as she surveyed the new computer lab and 52” flat screen television that were donated to the Senior Center.  Two local families, who “have not forgotten their roots” as Williams put it, donated these items.

According to Williams, the six new computers, monitors and a printer were purchased through a donation made by the Flanagan family, including Robert Flanagan, brother to Winthrop Fire Chief Paul Flanagan and lieutenant Chucky Flanagan and son to Marilyn Flanagan, a board member of the Council on Aging, and former Chief Charles Flanagan.

The television was a gift from Mike Eruzione, whose father Eugene ‘Geep’ Eruzione is a member and frequent visitor to the Senior Center.

“For somebody like myself, who normally has to beg for money to undertake projects here, gifts like these are just. . . well I’m speechless,” said Williams. “it’s great that these two individuals, who are from the town and have gone on to do very well for themselves, have not forgotten their roots and it restores my faith in humanity, that they’re still thinking about the people here in Winthrop.”

Williams noted that senior center computer teacher Harvey Maibor is already enrolling people in new computer classes and the television, located in the main recreational area off the main lobby is sure to get plenty of use by the members.

“It is really incredible to think how close we were to closing the doors of this center just two years ago and now to have people come in and make donations to take care of things that have been on our list of needs for quite some time, it’s really incredible,” she said.

In addition to the donation by the Flanagan family, Chief Flanagan oversaw the re-wiring of the electrical circuits in the computer lab, as the existing wiring had not been sufficient to handle the new demand on the system.

In all the preparation of the new computer lab took approximately two months, with many hours of work being put in by Chief Flanagan, Betty Vasquez and others.