The Council on Aging celebrated the Senior Center’s reaccreditation on Nov. 14 with a luncheon and words of encouragement and congratulations from several speakers.

Among them was the state’s Secretary of Elder Affairs Anne Hartstein who traveled from Boston.

“I keep hearing that [the Senior Center] is a hub in the community,” she said. “A senior center is what you make it. Congratulations to each and every one of you.”

The event capped a years worth of work where 73 residents helped to ensure the center met national accreditation standards. The accreditation lasts for five years.

Hartstein praised Senior Center Director Sharon Lally for her work on the project. Lally and Hartstein know each other from the Needham Senior Center. Lally was hired to fill the director’s position after Hartstein found work elsewhere.

“She strongly believes in accreditation for senior centers,” Hartstein said. “Accreditation of senior centers in the state would not be where it is today without Sharon.”

Nine committees addressed governance, administration, program planning, fiscal responsibility, and many other issues at the senior center.

Those committees then submitted their findings in a portfolio to the National Council on Aging and the National Senior Center Accreditation Board.

During a review, two people certified to conduct the accreditation process met with community members, witnessed center programs, checked records, and evaluated the site’s cleanliness, and accessibility.

On Sept. 27, the Council on Aging learned about the successful accreditation.

“This was a tremendous undertaking,” Lally said. She noted that everyone should be credited for the hard work. “It’s not all about me. If I didn’t have all of you I would be nothing”

Jean Armstrong, the council’s president, called the Senior Center the “heart” of the community. She spoke about how it served as a “lifesaver” for her after her husband passed away.

Local leaders spoke too. Town Administrator Richard LaCamera and Selectmen Chair Naida Parker offered congratulations. Both volunteered on accreditation committees.

Parker, who has been the Town Clerk for a number of years, said she remembered when the Council on Aging held meetings in a filing closet in Town Hall.

“We’ve come a long way,” Parker said.