EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass. - The East Longmeadow Senior Center opened its doors for local residents on Thursday as the facility hosted its first career fair for those ages 50 and over.

Senior Center event coordinator Alicia Smith said the job fair featured 14 local vendors offering multiple opportunities for residents to work as caregivers, office workers, special needs assistants, and more.

Smith said it was actually one of the vendors that reached out to her about hosting the event with the idea that similar agencies looking for workers should work together.

As COVID-19 numbers decline, the Senior Center is hopeful more residents of East Longmeadow will use Thursday's career fair as an opportunity to get back to work as there are many agencies including her own that are hiring and looking to fill open positions.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly attributed a quote to Alicia Smith. The quote has been removed to avoid further confusion.