Gig Harbor might lose its only senior center -- a place more than 100 residents have relied on for nearly a decade for daily activities.
These activities range from physical fitness to mental health and socializing. The seniors say these activities help them live a long and healthy life as they age.
For nine and a half years, the senior center in Gig Harbor has shared space, rent-free, in a building owned by the local Boys and Girls Club. But the Peninsula School District is now purchasing the building. While the Boys and Girls Club will reportedly still use the space, the district will need the rest of the building to meet the needs of students. As a result, the seniors have been told they need to find a new space as early as June.
Several seniors formed a task force to mobilize in the community to find a new location. Nearly 75 other community members, including city and county leaders, have joined them to help with the search. Representatives from the Boys and Girls Club are also joining the efforts.
Joyce Schultz, Betty Lilienthal and Anne Cassidy are three of the seniors who formed the task force. They say the center has been a huge part of their lives.
“We are just a group of people over 60 -- some of us a lot over 60 -- that want to stay connected, that need human interaction,” Lilienthal said. “It’s a place where people come to have comradery. It’s a place where people come to learn, to teach -- to have some quality of life that they don’t have when they’re sitting home.”
Joyce pointed out the importance of giving seniors access to three main things: physical activity, socialization and good nutrition.
“We honor these three components … plus more.” And, she added, they look out for each other -- calling to check in on members they haven’t seen in a while.
The task force is divided into committees to focus on every aspect of what the seniors need. And because the senior center will no longer be under the umbrella of the Boys and Girls Club (which allowed them to use their facilities rent-free and helped them operate activities with a minimal annual membership fee), grant-writing, budgeting and filing for nonprofit status are all new focuses.
But above all, it’s the search for a facility, both temporary and full time, that remains the largest focus.
“The most important thing right now is a home,” Lilienthal said. “Where are we going to go? How are these people going to be able to socialize, and to gather and feel safe? To share their stories like they have been doing? And (to take) our classes?”
Those classes include everything from tai chi to computer classes. They play pickleball and pool, and regularly host social gatherings.
“The potlucks were great fun because many of us are alone, or there’s just two of us,” Cassidy said. “And you’re used to cooking for a big family or group of friends, and it gives you that one opportunity once a month to kind of show your stuff!”
Gig Harbor City Councilmember Jeni Woock said the vitality of a community’s seniors impacts everyone.
“When we have healthy seniors -- when they can interact with other members of the community -- it makes for a better quality of life for a community,” she said. “A community is as vital as the way we take care of our members. And that’s why it’s important to take care of our seniors.”
Here's how you can help
Members of the task force say they are open to any and all ideas. They are meeting with churches and other organizations who have offered to help find solutions for a space. The space needs to be ADA accessible, have a room with hardwood floors (for ease of mobility), and perhaps has room for their pool table, which they say is a source of a lot of positive socialization among members. Also ideal would be a place that has the option for separate, smaller rooms to hold some of their many classes.
If you want to find out how you can help, or have any suggestions, you can reach out to Betty Lilienthal via email: betty-lilienthal@hotmail.com or City Councilmember Jeni Woock at: (253)-851-8136 or woockj@cityofgigharbor.net.
