Our Mission
Bugbee invites older adults in the Upper Valley to age well through food, friendship, participation, and purpose.
Our Mission
Bugbee invites older adults in the Upper Valley to age well through food, friendship, participation, and purpose.
What we do
We believe growing older should come with more wellness, more laughter, more friends, and fewer barriers. We’re building a community where people – regardless of age – feel valued, connected, and at home.
Bugbee is a nonprofit senior community center offering lunches, Meals on Wheels, activities, classes, social events, wellness services, social services, and more, all geared towards the needs of older adults. We primarily serve the communities of Hartford, Norwich, and Thetford, Vermont, but all seniors are welcome. We’re always looking to identify areas of need for older adults, and endeavor to meet those needs.
Our services are geared towards older adults, but we rely on support from people of all ages throughout the community: as volunteers, activity instructors, staff, donors, board members, friendly faces, and advocates for the elderly. Contact us today if you’d like to get involved!
Strategic Plan 2026-2028
In 2025, we did a thing! After working with community members, partners, staff, and volunteers to learn about community needs, we put it all together into a plan for the next few years. Many thanks to all of you who participated in the process. Take a look, and let us know if you want to help!
Memberships
About the Center
Bugbee Senior Center is located in historic White River Junction, Vermont. The single story building, owned by the Town of Hartford, opened in 1980 and was purpose built to house the senior center.
The Center offers an airy, open setting. The large dining area offers ample space for meals, meetings, and functions. Whether attending a presentation by a speaker or an art class, the light and pleasant setting is comfortable and casual for large or small groups.
The building also contains meeting rooms and a library, which includes a selection maintained by Quechee Library.
We are a short walk from downtown WRJ, offer free parking on site, and are located on Advance Transit’s Orange and Yellow routes.
MEET OUR TEAM!
The Kitchen Crew
Mark Bradley
Executive Director
As a kid, Mark wanted to be a senior center director when he grew up, although at the time he was not aware of this. He spent much of his younger life in Chazy, New York. After high school he moved to Montreal to study music at McGill, followed by a master’s in business administration from York University in Toronto specializing in nonprofits. He worked as a clarinetist and administrator for years, and joined the Bugbee team in 2020. Mark has lived in New England since 2016.
Susan Manley
Program Coordinator
Susan has had a few different jobs including working at a chicken factory in Arkansas; operating a deli in Burlington; and practicing law in Woodstock. She has finally found her calling scheduling foot care clinics, navigating seat assignments, and setting up bingo. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her partner and their two unbehaved dogs, golfing, hiking, and skiing.
Alec Struver
Administrator
Alec was born and raised in Westchester, New York where he received his Bachelor’s of Business Administration from Pace University. In his free time, he loves hiking, snowboarding, and rooting for the Yankees. Those activities brought him to the Upper Valley, and the seniors here at Bugbee are what made him stay.
The Kitchen Crew
Nick Tessier – Kitchen Manager
John Hathorn – Cook
Betty Day – Kitchen Custodian
Robert Nichols – Kitchen Custodian
Board of Directors
Gaal Shepherd Crowl, Chair
White River Junction
Emily Santaw, Vice Chair
Wilder
Jennifer Fontaine, Treasurer
Haverhill
Ann Greenwald, Secretary
Lebanon
Adams Carroll
White River Junction
Barbara Duclos
White River Junction
Anna Guenther
White River Junction
John Haffner
White River Junction
Jennifer Kravitz
White River Junction
Colleen O’Brien
West Lebanon
Frida Velcani
Dartmouth Tuck Fellow
White River Council on Aging (dba Bugbee Senior Center) is registered as a nonprofit organization under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3). Our Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 03-0261891.
CONTACT US TODAY!
Have any questions, or just want to say hi? Let us know! We’re always happy to hear from you.