A recent editorial by Arthur Williams talked about the "buzz" in Prince George over the Labour Day long weekend. He described the buzz as that intangible feeling of being surrounded by activity and being part of things. I would like to tell you about the buzz happening at the local senior centres around Prince George.
Many of the activities at some senior centres took a summer break, however the buzz is now on as they start returning to their regular schedules. If you are a senior try joining one or all of the senior centres for a place to go for a social life that will include friendship, fun, laughter, good food, volunteer opportunities and many fun activities to help keep you in shape and your mind sharp.
We are fortunate to have five non-profit senior activity centers located throughout Prince George. Their goal is to help seniors remain healthy, active, independent and contributing members of the community. The senior centres are a source of information, fellowship, entertainment, recreational activities and a place to socialize and participate in activities with other people. Senior centres are a place to go to do volunteer work, to meet new friends and maintain relationships with old friends. There is something for everyone at a senior centre. In fact many members call their chosen centre their "second home." Join one or several of them, keep busy and stay young at heart and be a part of things.
Memberships at some centres are open to everyone; however these details vary along with the size and scope of services of each centre. Each senior centre has general meetings for members and a board of directors. They are governed by a constitution and their own set of by-laws. There may be a small fee required for membership, plus extra fees needed to cover costs of programs. The main idea behind a senior centre is to provide a welcoming environment for all seniors in the community who are interested in taking part in a group atmosphere.
For the specific details and hours of operation just phone or visit one of or all of the five centres listed below:
Elder Citizen's Recreation Association: 1692 Tenth Avenue (between Vancouver and Winnipeg St.) contact Rolanda at 250-561-9381
Hart Pioneer Centre: 6986 Hart Hwy. Phone 250-962-6712
There is lots of buzz at this centre these days because they just finished some major renovations to their building.
North Central Seniors Association: 5401 Moriarty (basement of the College Heights Baptist Church) Phone 250-640-1693 or contact Lorraine 778-416-8887
Prince George and District Senior Citizens Activity Centre: 425 Brunswick St. contact Trianda at 250-564-3287. This centre experienced a lot of buzz for the entire month of August as they successfully cooked and served all the meals for the ball players that came to Prince George for the ten days of the World Baseball Championships.
Spruce Capital Senior's Recreation Centre: 701 Rainbow Drive phone 250-563-6450
Each centre is unique and each centre offers many of the following programs: Low cost nutritional meals, volunteer opportunities, cards (bridge, canasta, cribbage, whist), group activities (carpet bowling, floor curling, ukulele lessons, line dancing and Tai Chi), a drama club, book club, breakfast club, a prize winning photo club, singing groups, craft groups, monthly dances, cooking classes, bingo and various educational and health related clinics. Many offer reasonable catering and hall rental rates for private events.
There you have it! It is going to be another long winter so get out there and join up, meet new friends and have some fun.
Send me your seniors' information at: [email protected]
