Regina Keller (Math) offered an online educational presentation about puppy mills for the Longwood Public Library on September 28 as part of our Professors on Wheels program. FA members offer live or recorded online presentations for area assisted living facilities as well. (photo by Cynthia Eaton)

Professors on Wheels has long been one of our most beloved community service and outreach programs. Initiated in fall 2009, for over a decade this award-winning program has allowed our members to bring education and joy into the lives of Suffolk County’s senior residents.

This year Covid changed everything, but it didn’t change our commitment to the community.

This fall, through the generous donations of our FA members, Professors on Wheels was able to donate enrichment boxes to residents of eight different care facilities across Suffolk County. I cannot fully express how grateful the centers are not only to receive so many wonderful items but to be remembered by the community. What I heard most as I delivered our boxes was ‘‘Thank you for not forgetting us!’’

For the foreseeable future, Professors on Wheels will be pivoting to an online format using a private FA YouTube channel. If you would like to record for the Professors on Wheels YouTube channel, your intellectual content would be locked and only available to the centers that participate. Some volunteers have already offered to record walking tours of local beaches, concerts and yoga. If you would like to participate, we’d love to hear your ideas.

Also, given its success, I’d like to create more enrichment boxes after the winter holidays. Please look for a call for donations in January. If you still have items to donate now, you can leave them in the FA office.

Thank you again for helping to bring joy to our community neighbors. If you’d like to be a part of this important, meaningful community outreach program, please email me.

I thing I will not forget is that this program simply would not be possible without the expertise and generous hearts of our members.