Young at Heart

By Vicki McCullough, Blaine Senior Center board member

Blaine Senior Center director Kathy Sitker was presented with the ‘Business of the Year Award’ from the Blaine Chamber of Commerce at Bite of Blaine on February 19. It was an honor for the Blaine Senior Center and for Sitker who became director in August 2016. Since then, we’ve added more classes, activities and members and now we are planning for our 51st anniversary this August.

Colacurcio Brothers Construction started work on the new driveway entrance on H Street last month. They will be doing the grading, drainage and concrete work to improve the surface. The new driveway will remain closed until it’s paved. We’re hopeful the project will conclude by mid-March.

In addition to the driveway, we’ve also upgraded the gym. The boxes have been removed, the walls are patched and painted, the carpet has a new border and the machines have been arranged by cardio or strength training. We still have some finishing touches to apply to the space, but it’s open, so stop in and see the new look.

The senior center hosts day trips during the summer. Sitker is currently scheduling trips to Mariners games and is taking suggestions. If you or anyone you know has any ideas, feel free to let her know.

We have scheduled the volunteer appreciation dinner from February 23 to Thursday, March 22 due to inclement weather. That evening, we’ll be naming our ‘Volunteer of the Year.’

Other upcoming events include the ‘Annual Tea Party’ on Sunday, April 29, the ‘Fourth of July Pancake Breakfast,’ the ‘Gear Head Classic Car Show’ on Saturday, September 22 and the ‘Annual Christmas Bazaar’ on Friday, November 30 and Saturday, December 1.

Our monthly Big Bucks Bingo games are on the first Saturday of the month and our pancake breakfasts are on the third Saturday of the month. All are open to the public.

As long as I’ve been a member, the Blaine Senior Center has never been a place where people are sitting around or napping, although you might catch someone resting their eyes. We have painting, genealogy and Bible study classes. We also offer stretch exercises, pool, ping pong, Tai Chi, strength training classes and the gym is open every day.

We have a group of wonderful ladies doing crafts and we have a craft cupboard that carries seasonal items for gifts and more. If you like to play games, we have those, too.

We have bocce ball, pickle ball, bunco, bridge, pinochle, mahjong and bingo, all of which are open to the public. We also have a healthy weight support group and a memory loss support group.

We serve a freshly prepared lunch daily by our cook and we provide Meals on Wheels for those who need them. If you’re 50 years or older and don’t belong to the Blaine Senior Center, please join us. It’s a great place to meet new people. We hope to see you soon.

At the Blaine Senior Center, don’t forget that we offer freshly-made lunches from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on weekdays. We are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.

The Blaine Senior Center is located at 763 G Street. Learn more at blaineseniorcenter.com.