Christina Bosco Langert, chair of Professors on Wheels, loads enrichment boxes into her car for delivery to Suffolk County seniors in residential or assisted living facilities. (photo courtesy Christina Bosco Langert)

The pandemic has affected so many Americans, but few moreso than our elderly neighbors in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

We’ve all seen the news reports of seniors on Long Island who haven’t been able to see their family members or receive visitors of any kind. That’s why I decided to shift gears with our longstanding Professors on Wheels program so that we could continue to bring joy to these seniors’ lives—even though we can no longer bring our lectures directly to them. They need our care now more than ever.

Over the summer, we worked to recraft Professors on Wheels to focus on delivering enrichment boxes as well as virtual rather than in-person workshops and presentations.
Stage one, the enrichment boxes, is complete! The following seven facilities that we’ve worked with in the past are receiving enrichment boxes:

• The Arbors at Islandia East
• The Arbors at Islandia West
• The Arbors at Bohemia
• The Arbors Living
• Health Care Center at Jefferson’s Ferry
• Westhampton Care Center
• Stony Brook Therapeutic Center

Thanks to the donations of FA members over the summer, each enrichment box contains:

• 	Each enrichment box contains a variety of materials based on the wish lists provided by facilities that our "Professors on Wheels" have visited over the years. (photo courtesy Christina Bosco Langert)

  ten different kinds of large print puzzle books (e.g., word search, crossword, sudoku, dot to dot)
• two boxes of pencils or pens and a sharpener
• four different adult coloring books with five boxes of color pencils, four boxes of markers and a box of crayons
• ten packs of playing cards
• four books and four magazines on all subjects
• one board game and two puzzles
• eight DVDs
• one letter of well wishes on behalf of the Faculty Association
• small foam crafts and extra art supplies (for the centers that specifically requested them).

I am grateful to all of the FA members who donated this summer and helped make this possible! I know it will bring joy to these seniors’ lives.

Please contact me at christinab@fascc.org if you would like to contribute to our virtual lecture series for Professors on Wheels as we continue to bring joy to our senior neighbors.