General Body Elections 2025 Results

Meet the Friends of Indian Senior Citizens Organization (FISCO) of Massachusetts

By Ms. Rita Shah, Founder and Board Member

The Friends of Indian Senior Citizens Organization (FISCO) is a Burlington, Massachusetts based social work agency serving over 600 seniors locally.

On Sunday, October 5, 2025, FISCO will celebrate fifteen years of volunteer support and joyful participation in the lives of an aging Indian population in Massachusetts.

We have organized a celebration of this milestone at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Woburn and cordially invite you to attend. You can view details of our celebration at www.thefisco.org.

FISCO is a community-based group that was established in 2010 and became a registered non-profit organization in 2016. We promote the physical and mental health of seniors by reducing social and cultural isolation, and by connecting people with learning activities and entertainment. Hot weekly lunches have been used as a magnet to bring elders out of their homes to three conveniently located senior centers to eat together. 

Our goal to increase connection and communication among seniors to share their mutual experiences of life as immigrants has been very exciting. 

By 2025, roughly 560 people became lifetime members to participate in FISCO’s programs that include nutritious weekly lunches at $3 per person, yoga, meditation and exercise classes, music and dance performances, and trips within and out of state. 

In July 2025, one hundred and five seniors went whale watching off the coast of Boston. In June another group went on a scenic bus tour to Pennsylvania and stopped over to see the BAPS Vraj Temple and Hershey Chocolate Factory.  In June, also, 150 seniors attended a community picnic at a park in North Reading, played games, sang and danced and ate delicious food. 

Lunch at the Burlington and Westford Councils of Aging every week are lively events. Lunch in Shrewsbury is held twice each month. Volunteers serve generous portions of healthy food and many new friendships and acquaintanceships are born.  Seniors share news about what is going on in their own lives, the issues they face and how they resolve them. These shared stories give the members courage and hope and a positive outlook to their immigrant experiences. They also give seniors tools and resources that help them reduce barriers in accessing health care in good medical facilities and physician practices that are local.

Asians are the fastest growing racial and ethnic group in Massachusetts and grew 45.2% between 2010-2020 (Asian Americans in Mass. Data from the 2020 Decennial Census and American Community Survey, 2022. Scholarworks.umb.edu/iaas_pubs/48/ Table 1). They grew at 2/3X the rate of Hispanic/Latins and Black/African Americans in the same period. 

On August 11th, 2025 FISCO held elections to its board. Ms. Mita Patel was elected President of the Board for 2025-2027. In addition, nine board members were elected (see the website). Ms. Rita Shah, the founder of FISCO, is also a member of the Board. Together they promised to prioritize help to seniors to navigate the complex lives of immigrants, especially for those who have less help and live in social isolation. 

FISCO’s will continue to bring sites of care to the Indian community. Burlington Council of Aging, our oldest center, was setup in 2010. In 2024 the Westford Council of Aging became FISCO’S second center, and in 2025, the Shrewsbury Council of Aging became our third. More centers are planned in Newton and Norwood in the near future. Strong leadership, Indian languages, volunteerism, social and cultural skills, and stable relationships with local Councils of Aging, have facilitated rapid growth. Generous community donors have sustained the cost of running this small, startup organization. We invite community members to view our website and contact us to get more information, become a volunteer and join the board. 

The Councils of Aging in three Massachusetts towns are our trusted supporters and reliable partners. They facilitate a weekly vegetarian lunch year-round subsidized by federal and state funds and a small fee to members. Minuteman Senior Services, Agespan, and Elder Services of Worcester are partners who help FISCO provide hot lunch to seniors, and space for meetings, classes and seminars on health, fitness, nutrition, financial management, and preparing taxes. An active board organizes fun filled music, dance, and cultural shows. They also organize annual outdoor picnics, and walks and tours of beautiful New England. FISCO maintains close ties with Farmers Markets, health care organizations, clinicians, hospitals, banks, police and fire departments.

Currently, FISCO is looking actively for a part time Executive Director to work for twenty hours per week, both at the centers and remotely. A full job description is available on our website. We also seek members for a new advisory team who can help us raise funds for FISCO. The growth of the senior population in the community has been beyond what has been expected and we invite you to join us in cooperation and collaboration with FISCO to serve seniors.