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Date: 10/27/2021
EASTHAMPTON – As the Easthampton Council on Aging emerges from the pandemic and begins to open its doors to the public, it also welcomes Cynthia Tarail as the new director.
Tarail brings a wealth of background experience in social work and serving the community throughout her tenure. She enters this position at a pivotal time when in-person services at the center have recently started to open up, providing the many activities residents love and enjoy. She joins community leaders in creative planning for future opportunities coinciding with the continued updates and guidance from the Board of Health.
Tarail was born in Brooklyn, NY, and has lived in various places “from very urban to rural – including living off the grid during the back-to-the-land movement – and just making the most of a small plot of land in a village.” She eventually moved to Western Massachusetts in 1989 and has a home in Montague, which she shares with her husband, Mark. They have a daughter named Bella, who is 22.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in social/economic geography from Vassar College and a master's degree in social work from the University of Connecticut. Career wise, she has extensive experience as a case manager at Highland Valley Elder Services, Northampton, working with at-risk elders, those in protective services, and participants of the Meals on Wheels program. She also directed community partnerships in Northampton in the early childhood field for 10 years, organizing between government schools, agencies, and nonprofits to improve services serving an area of 24 towns.
Up until her recent role, Tarail was conducting fundraising and communications at The Cancer Connection, for five years. She calls herself the “storyteller” for those battling cancer and their caregivers and families. She shared their stories with those who wished to seek services and raise funds. At the Council on Aging, she hopes to bring her fundraising and grant writing skills to the mix together with a background in case management, community partnerships and fundraising, and working with the older population in various ways, she believes all those areas will help direct the Council on Aging.
When she is not working, she and her family maple sugars every year, and they have their own miniature Sugar Shack on their property. To get others involved, they have kids and families in the neighborhood who help gather wood, collect sap and boil syrup from the many trees in the village and from their yard to assist in the syrup-making process. Another hobby she enjoys in her spare time is reading, particularly science fiction – a big fan – poetry, literature, and non-fiction.
As for her vision and plans for what comes next, Tarail explained that Easthampton’s older population is a diverse and significant proportion of the city’s population. She said she is curious about what the residents would like to see the center offering for social, recreational, and fitness activities, as well as the kinds of services outreach workers can provide like benefits counseling and application assistance.
She said she wants to know, “Is there something that we're not doing now that would appeal to you? I’m really interested in what it could look like, how it can grow, change, maybe some things stay the same as each generation enters the decades of their late 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s even 100s. But, things don't always have to stay the same.”
She told Reminder Publishing that there was a survey done not too long ago about people’s interests and she plans to look at it. “We would love to hear from people about what they’re interested in. It’s the community’s center; it’s the community's services. I've lived here for many years in the area, but working in Easthampton will be a new thing, and I'm looking forward to that."
The Council on Aging is now open for certain activities. Updates and information is available on their website, https://easthamptoncouncilonaging.org, or give them a call at 527-6151.