Brad Berens, who led the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center for approximately 20 years and became involved in multiple community projects, died Wednesday. He was 74.
During his years of social work in the SCV, “he stepped into a small, underserved senior center in Santa Clarita, serving the Lost and Greatest Generations of northern Los Angeles County,” according to an email Thursday from his son Robert. “Over the years he grew it, along with our valley, into a lifeline that reached thousands, a place where older adults were met with dignity, respect, and the kind of stubborn advocacy he considered nonnegotiable.”
Berens was appointed to lead the largest local organization that supports senior citizens back in June 1991.
“A self-proclaimed ‘eternal optimist,’ Berens seems to love his job, the center and the seniors,” according to a 1991 Signal story that announced his hiring.
“‘On days when I’m kind of burned out on all the paperwork, I go out and spend a few hours with the seniors,’” he’s quoted as saying. “’And I really feel like it’s highway robbery that they’re paying me for this because it gives me such intrinsic reward.’”
In 2010, the city of Santa Clarita recognized Berens’ contribution to seniors with an honorary key to the city, with then-Mayor Laurene Weste calling him a tireless, tough advocate.
“For more than 16 years, our dad served as the executive director of the Santa Clarita Valley Committee on Aging and the SCV Senior Center, transforming it into one of the region’s most essential community institutions,” wrote Brad Berens’ daughter, Aja Berens, in an email.
The family has created a GoFundMe account to support the family’s funeral costs: bit.ly/43ZkJuE.
