Hillsborough Senior Pens Letter Pleading With Township For Club Funding

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Hillsborough resident Georgeanne Valis shared a letter to the editor after learning funding for two senior citizen chapters would be cut in the upcoming Township budget.

• Read More: Senior Club Cuts Draw Pushback, Hillsborough Delays 2026 Budget Vote

Dear Mayor Payne and Township Committee Members:

When I was a bit younger, a friend of mine who was past 90, told me the older you get, the smaller your world becomes. As I age, I’m beginning to understand what she meant. Traveling long distances has become more daunting, especially on our highways, driving at night is something to be avoided, and even a trip to the grocery store can be challenging. Bags seem to be heavier and arthritic hands ache to carry them.

And yet, I’m a very active senior. There are many in our township, not so lucky. As our worlds get smaller, it’s easy to become isolated, lonely and depressed. I heard a great speech on Tuesday about concern for ways to help mental illness, and if I’m not mistaken, depression is often one of the leading causes of suicide.

When I came to Hillsborough 50 years ago, the standard line/joke was Where’s Hillsborough? Indeed, I had never heard of it myself. However, there are many seniors who have been here even longer. My husband is the 3rd generation to live here. And in recent years had to watch the house his grandfather built by hand, torn down to make room for apartments and affordable housing.

50 years. That’s probably more than the majority of residents are in age. We worked here, we raised our families here and we helped to build Hillsborough into the wonderful community it is now.

We are not yet in need of your social service programs. We want to be able to live and enjoy the community we helped to build. We have paid our taxes for years. I personally have not had a child in the school system since 1985. But in that time, we have all paid to have 2 schools built, 2 school additions built, 1 school refurbished. We read about exorbitant salaries being given to staff and had to listen to the fact that personnel in the township can’t be hired for $100,000, when most seniors are living on less than $50,000.

When I moved here, crime was rare. Doors could be left open, and car doors were never locked. Now crime continues to increase, our police force has tripled and again, those are our tax dollars.

And what do we ask for in return? Community clubs where we can gather to enjoy a little social time and share our experiences with friends. When you walk into a senior meeting, the first thing you feel is the joy and camaraderie. The anticipation of participating in events with friends. A party where you listen to a great Elvis song and remember the first person you ever danced with. A trip to see new and interesting places that keeps the world open. This is something we have earned for all the years we have invested in this township. For all the contributions we have made.

The money that we ask for is a drop in the bucket in the overall budget. But that drop is for the people who have made Hillsborough the reason you wanted to move here and call it home. Those people deserve better than what you are proposing to give them now.

— Georgeanne Valis