Engagement Center for Creative Aging

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Engagement Center for Creative Aging Under the HDFS Department, ECCA provides innovated community services for families aging in place in the New River Valley.

The Engagement Center for Creative Aging opened in 1992 as Virginia Tech Adult Day Services. In 2018, the center began expanding its services to provide education and programming to adults 55+ who are concerned about their brain health. In 2021, we committed to an expanded plan to provide education and services to people in advance of memory issues in order to give people strategies and resources they can use to maximize their brain health. In the situations where memory impairments occur, we envision a world where aging joyfully and connected in the presence of dementia is possible. We provide in-person and online education, programming, and connections for people who want to maximize their brain health as they age.

The Beat Goes On is going strong! Our intergenerational community choir is rehearsing this week on Thursday, October 8th...
10/07/2026

The Beat Goes On is going strong! Our intergenerational community choir is rehearsing this week on Thursday, October 8th! We’re open to absolutely everyone, from ages 1-100, come join and sing with us. 5:30-7pm in the Creativity and Innovation District on campus at Virginia Tech. No need to register - just show up! See you there!

Thank you Bike4Alz for having breakfast with us! We loved having you here, and we appreciate all that you do. We’re alwa...
08/04/2026

Thank you Bike4Alz for having breakfast with us! We loved having you here, and we appreciate all that you do. We’re always happy to meet organizations with a mission similar to ours, and we’re excited to see such an amazing group stepping up and helping others.

Bike4Alz is an organization committed to fundraising and raising awareness around Alzheimer’s Disease. Their team this year was comprised of 12 men, all racing across the country from San Francisco to Virginia Beach, visiting centers and organizations like ours along the way.

This is Bike4Alz’s 14th year of riding from coast to coast, and they have spent those last 14 years biking over 40,000 miles and raising over $600,000 for Alzheimer’s research and treatment.

Just last week, on July 27th, the Bike4Alz team completed the last 65 miles of their 76 day journey. Congratulations team 14! We’re so excited to see what you do next.

Our ADS participants have been taking advantage of the nice weather and spent the day outside sprucing up our garden wit...
06/19/2026

Our ADS participants have been taking advantage of the nice weather and spent the day outside sprucing up our garden with some help from our neighbors over at the Child Development Center for Learning and Research! 🌿🌸🪏

As an added bonus, this activity provided a wonderful opportunity for Intergenerational programming.

By bringing together older adult, young children, students and staff, shared experiences create meaningful connections across generations that encourage learning, understanding and mutual respect.

Intergenerational programs increase cooperation, interaction, and the exchange of knowledge and perspectives between people of all ages. Whether working side-by-side in the garden, sharing stories, or simply spending time together, participants have the opportunity to build relationships, reduce age-related stereotypes, and strengthen their sense of community.

Through intergenerational experiences, it’s easy to see that everyone has something valuable to contribute!

05/20/2026

Some of our field study students graduated this past week 🙌🎉 Hear some words of advice from Catherine and Evelyn regarding their experience and stepping into post-grad !!

WOW!!! ⭐️🎶 ❤️ Thank you so much to everyone who came out last Tuesday night and supported our community choir, The Beat ...
05/11/2026

WOW!!! ⭐️🎶 ❤️ Thank you so much to everyone who came out last Tuesday night and supported our community choir, The Beat Goes On. It was such a special evening full of singing, dancing and memories being made! Each year keeps getting better and growing in membership — YAY!! 🙌

Our website has the interest form for the 2026-2027 choir season, livestream recording and the introductory video shown at the concert. If you are interested, click the link below! ⬇️

https://ecca.hdfs.vt.edu/the-beat-goes-on-a-community-choir-project/

Flower arranging is one of our favorite activities to provide our ADS participants once the weather gets nice! 🌷☀️🪻 Even...
05/04/2026

Flower arranging is one of our favorite activities to provide our ADS participants once the weather gets nice! 🌷☀️🪻 Even better, it is proven to therapeutically serve persons living with dementia through various benefits like:

➡️ Sensory stimulation from colors, scents and textures
➡️ Decrease in anxiety by providing a calm and engaging activity
➡️ Improvement in fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination through cutting and placing flowers
➡️ And overall encouragement and increase in socialization!

Thank you to for collaborating with us and bringing together our communities!

Click below to learn more. 🔗
https://ecca.hdfs.vt.edu/social-media-research/

Spring time at ECCA means dancing, spending time outside and a whole lot of smiling and laughter!! Every day brings fond...
04/24/2026

Spring time at ECCA means dancing, spending time outside and a whole lot of smiling and laughter!! Every day brings fond memories with our participants, students, volunteers and staff ☀️ ❤️ 😁

⭐️ COMMUNITY CONCERT, MAY 5TH ⭐️ Save the date!! 🎉✨ Come on out Tuesday, May 5th to sing along with our community choir,...
04/19/2026

⭐️ COMMUNITY CONCERT, MAY 5TH ⭐️ Save the date!! 🎉✨

Come on out Tuesday, May 5th to sing along with our community choir, The Beat Goes On!! Our singers have been rehearsing all year, fine-tuning the set list and practicing their dance moves and we want YOU to be a part of it!! This community concert is free and open to the public, no registration is required.

Click the link below for more information ⬇️

https://ecca.hdfs.vt.edu/the-beat-goes-on-a-community-choir-project/
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About the Choir:
The Beat Goes On, is an award-winning, intergenerational community choir designed for persons experiencing cognitive change. Members range in age from 3-97 and includes Virginia Tech students, faculty, staff and other NRV community members.

04/14/2026

Virginia Tech Career and Professional Development interviewed Jo, Chloe (a student CNA) and Emily (the marketing intern) during the Fall semester about ECCA and what their specific role entails. If you are interested in watching CPD's full YouTube video, click the link below! ⬇️

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwmCMy94Ac

Address

295 West Campus Drive
Blacksburg, VA
24060

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4pm
Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

Telephone

+15402313161

Website

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