When the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center opened 15 years ago, Serving Seniors opened the doors with a sense of excitement and high hopes. It was our vision to be the model for a new generation of senior centers.
Today, 15 years later, I can confidently say we have done all that and accomplished much more than we ever expected.
Serving Seniors invited our clients to join us on April 14 to celebrate this milestone with Gary and Mary West, the San Diego philanthropists who agreed to provide the $3 million in funding to purchase the building that would be transformed from a closed downtown car dealership to a haven for low-income and homeless older adults.
It replaced a dark and barely functional space at Ninth and Broadway. I was 15 years into my role as president and CEO. It was my firm belief we could do so much better by providing a contemporary, cheerful space full of natural light and optimism, providing services to help older adults thrive no matter their financial circumstances.
In the years since then, the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness center has provided services to more than 12,000 older adults — many of whom visit regularly. We have served three million meals in the center’s dining room.
Once people join us for a meal, they learn about our other activities, classes, and social events. Tens of thousands of people have taken part and even created their own groups to enjoy singing or walking together.
They receive supportive services from more than 50 collaborative partners including social work, mental health counseling, financial and legal services, and can visit our full-service dental clinic, the only one at any senior center in the United States, also made possible through the support of the Wests and their foundation. In 15 years, the original $3 million investment in the building has generated $27 million in total philanthropic support
In the years since we opened, delegations from around the world and throughout the U.S. have visited our center to learn about approach and our innovative programs and services.
The one thing that has never wavered in 15 years is Serving Seniors’ commitment to our older adults who walk through our doors daily. Our team is determined and driven by the same compassion, enthusiasm, and commitment we had in opening the Wellness Center with the belief we would change lives for the better through our efforts.
The belief in our concept by Gary and Mary West led to their extraordinary gift allowing us to make it all happen. Their amazing generosity continues to this day, and it was a delight to have the Wests on hand to celebrate our milestone and cut the celebratory cake all our senior guests enjoyed for the occasion.
Both Gary and Mary West regularly serve meals in our dining room. Mary hosts a monthly cooking class, and it is without a doubt our most popular monthly activity.
As people live longer, low income and homeless older adults continue to struggle with their everyday needs even as their numbers rise. At the most basic level, the Serving Seniors team works hard 365 days a year to ensure no older adult goes to bed hungry.
What Serving Seniors also recognizes is the impact that meaningful relationships and social connections have on our health and wellbeing. We work to connect with older adults in order to combat isolation and support healthy aging and independence. It happens every day as people share meals, or enjoy an exercise class, or simply relax and watch a movie with their friends at the Wellness Center. Offering socialization is a vital part of the Serving Seniors mission to keep older adults healthy and better able to avoid homelessness.
Once a client starts receiving meals, a Serving Seniors case manager meets with each person to determine whether any other services or resources might benefit them, providing an additional outreach opportunity to low-income and homeless older adults. They can access healthcare, exercise classes, walking groups, and civic engagement. Not only do our fresh, nutritious meals provide the basic building blocks of healthy aging, our lively dining room service feeds the soul as well — 365 days a year and free of charge.
One of our familiar faces at the Wellness Center is Zhexin Yu. Zhexin represents our many Mandarin-speaking seniors who live nearby and who gather at our Wellness Center daily. We asked him to say a few words at our anniversary celebration.
“This is not just an activity center. It feels like home, a place where we support and accompany each other. My heartfelt thanks to the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center and all the dedicated staff and volunteers working behind the scenes. May we continue to carry forward this spirit of warmth and community,” Zhexin told us.
Serving Seniors will keep our doors open at the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center 365 days a year for the community. We extend an invitation to you if you’d like to enjoy a meal or join us as a community volunteer.
Paul Downey is CEO of Serving Seniors, a San Diego-based nonprofit that helps seniors in poverty live healthy and fulfilling lives.
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