LYNN — The Friends of the Council on Aging have launched a new fundraising initiative, the Noble Fund, to honor longtime leader Joan B. Noble while strengthening long-term support for the City’s Senior Center. Announced during a recent City Council meeting, the effort reflects both a tribute to Noble’s legacy and a strategic shift in how the organization approaches fundraising.
Chairman Calvin Anderson, who succeeded Noble after her retirement last year, described the moment as both celebratory and forward-looking. Noble, who served as president for more than 15 years, left such a lasting impact that the organization permanently retired the title in her honor.
As Anderson explained, “We retired at the term president permanently with Joan so she’ll always be Joan B. Noble, President Emeritus.”
The Noble Fund represents a new scale of ambition for the Friends group. While past efforts included smaller initiatives like raffles and sponsored events, Anderson said the organization recognized the need for a more sustainable financial strategy.
“50/50 raffles are good. But we might make $75,” he noted, contrasting those efforts with the broader vision behind the new campaign. “So I said, ‘Here, let’s get a finance committee together to look at more tangible long-term planning’… This is sort of the first time they’ve done something like this… scale.”
The fundraiser is structured as a 90-day campaign, with donors able to pledge anywhere from $0 to $5,000. Rather than casting a wide net, the group is taking a targeted approach.
Anderson explained that mass mailings often yield limited results, noting that “3% return, positive, is considered a success.”
Instead, the Friends are reaching out directly to “the pillars of the community… those that have shown in the past to have made some major contributions.”
At its core, the Noble Fund is designed to support the Senior Center but in a specific and necessary way. Because the center operates as a municipal entity, it is prohibited from directly soliciting or accepting donations.
That’s where the Friends group plays a crucial role.
“Friends groups are formed on purpose,” Anderson said.
This structure allows the Friends to fund items and programs that fall outside the City’s budget.
The Senior Center can submit requests — ranging from equipment to programming — and the Friends vote on whether to fulfill them.
Anderson offered practical examples: “How we’re gonna buy this new refrigerator… they put a requisition in for us, we buy it.” He added that even smaller but essential needs, like replacing faulty microphones or purchasing a commercial-grade microwave, are handled this way.
The support extends beyond equipment. Funds also help enhance programming and daily services, including meals. Anderson pointed out that the local Senior Center is unique in offering breakfast every day, a service made possible through creative partnerships and supplemental funding.
“This is one of the few centers that serves breakfast every day,” he said, emphasizing the importance of maintaining and expanding such offerings.
Ultimately, the Noble Fund is about sustainability. Anderson acknowledged that even well-spent resources can dwindle over time if they are not replenished.
“If every month your treasury report has less money in it… we have to sustain that level. We have to get it back up,” he said.
The long-term vision includes not only meeting immediate needs but also building a financial foundation that can generate ongoing support.
“That’s kind of what our vision is now… It’s called perpetuation or sustainability. We want this to go on in perpetuity,” Anderson said.
While the campaign is currently a one-time, 90-day effort, Anderson hopes it will become an annual tradition. For now, the focus is on making the first Noble Fund a success, both as a tribute to Joan B. Noble and as a meaningful investment in the future of the community’s seniors.
If anyone is interested in making a donation to the fund, they may contact Calvin Anderson through the Lynn Senior Center.
