FRAMINGHAM, MA – What’s Happening at Framingham’s Senior Center:

Last Year’s Holiday Cookie Swap was a huge success! So let’s do it again on Thursday, December 22nd at 10:00 am at the Callahan Center. If you would like to participate in the Holiday Cookie Swap, please bring one dozen of your favorite cookies, bars, fudge or candy recipe and all participants will do the same. You will then leave with a tray full of delicious surprises. If interested, please call Pat Paganella at 508-872-5895. Come and have some hot cider or coffee and enjoy some holiday conversation!

People with Arthritis Can Exercise – For many years, it was thought that persons with arthritis should not exercise because it would damage their joints. Today, doctors and therapists know that exercise can improve your health without hurting your joints. With this in mind, the Arthritis Foundations offers People with Arthritis Can Exercise (PACE®). PACE® is an exercise-based program designed specifically for individuals with arthritis that uses gentle activities to help increase joint flexibility and range of motion, and help maintain muscle strength. The program also helps increase overall stamina. Basic and advanced levels of PACE® are available. Who Should I Contact? Nancy Coville-Wallace will teach an 8-week session of (Pace®) starting on Monday, December 5th. The session will consist of 2 days a week, Mondays at 10:30-11:30 am and Fridays at 1:00-2:00 pm, for 8 weeks through the month of January 2006. Nancy is an educator, trained in wellness and fitness with a dedicated interest in lifetime fitness and health. The cost of this program is $2.00 per class. To register for this 8-week session, please call the Callahan Center at 508-532-5890, extension 4977.

Get help selecting the “Part D” plan that meets your needs – Sign up for a help session in the Computer Learning Center at Callahan Center. Please call 508-532-5980, ext. 4977. To the session, you will need to bring the following: a list of your prescription drugs from your pharmacy, your Medicare card, any letter (s) from your current insurer, Prescription Advantage or Social Security.

Do you like fun and fellowship? A Red Hat Society is starting and the only requirements are a RED HAT, PURPLE TOP and LOTS OF FUN! This group will meet on the last Wednesday of the month. For more information, please call Lorraine at 508-877-6622.

WANTED: AARP TAX COUNSELOR – AARP is seeking tax counselors to provide free preparation of tax forms and answer tax questions. AARP Tax-Aide is the nation’s largest, free, volunteer-run tax service. New volunteers must be familiar with computers. Tax training is in early January. After training, all volunteers must pass an IRS test to become certified. For more information, please call the District Coordinator, Phil Bond, at 617-244-1087. For further information about the program, check online at www.aarp.org/taxaide.

STAMPS FOR KIDS – Used U.S. and Foreign stamps are an aid in teaching children history, geography, famous people and places, nature….and more. Having stamps encourages children to collect stamps for children’s programs such as those at the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History, located on the campus of Regis College in Weston, MA. Framingham seniors can help. Simply save personal or business mail having stamps, or, if you prefer, clip the stamps leaving 1/8 inch of paper around them. Then, place them in the “Stamps for Kids” box in the Friends’ Café at the Callahan Center. A good time to start….the holiday cards are coming!

Heritage Gallery is One-Stop-Shopping – with a group of dedicated volunteers to help with your holiday needs. We have all prices to satisfy your budget. It is truly an unusual Boutique—come, visit and bring a friend! Hours are: Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays from 10:00 am until 2:15 pm.

NOT TOO LATE TO CLAIM CIRCUIT BREAKER CREDITS – Since 2001, Massachusetts has offered eligible senior citizens a credit on their state taxes for the property taxes they pay for their home. Eligible taxpayers may claim a credit equal to the amount by which their property taxes and fifty percent of water and sewer payments exceed 10% of their total income. Renters may claim a credit in the amount by which 25% 0f their annual rent payment exceeds 100f their income. For tax year 2004, the maximum credit allowed was $820.00. To be eligible for the credit in 2004, the senior or spouse must be 65 or over and have total income less than $44,000 for a single filer, $55,000 for a head of household or $66,000 for taxpayers filing jointly. Some seniors do not normally file a state income tax return and therefore may not have claimed the credit for past years even though they were eligible for the credit. Massachusetts allows an individual to claim a credit for up to three years from the date the tax return was due. There fore, a senior may still claim a circuit breaker credit for tax year 2002 if they file the return and schedule by no later than April 15, 2006. An eligible taxpayer may obtain a refund by filing a return that includes Schedule CB, Circuit Breaker Credit. Tax return forms and schedules can be accessed from the internet under www.mass.gov/dor or by calling 1-800-392-6089.

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