May 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 48

CH A R LOT T E S V I L LE

out in the community, as a part of the community-they're
an asset versus a liability. "
The agency also offers the " Adventure Academy, " that
sends seniors out to explore local natural areas for geocaching, canoeing, a ropes course challenge, and hiking.
Even those in their mid-70s have tackled the ropes challenge, often mentioning that their children and grandchildren are doing these same activities.
Not all senior centers need grand facilities to be popular. Until Eureka, Missouri, gets its dedicated senior center
completed in 2013, Ann Moore with the city parks and recreation department essentially is the senior center. Despite
the one-woman programming, participation has recently
doubled for the monthly lunch programs and field trips that
Moore organizes. She says word of mouth has spread that
this is a fun place to be, and her programs even attract a
lot of senior men, a group notoriously difficult to engage.
Moore keeps an eye out for seniors everywhere she
goes. Although there is a senior center in town focusing
on services, Moore keeps the emphasis on senior recreation. She drops off information at local churches, provides information flyers to seniors to give to other seniors,
and often keeps business cards in her pocket.
" I go out into the community-I see them at the
Walmart, " she says. " ....I even see people I don't know-
I've never seen them at our events before but I do know that
they live in the community. I walk up to them and say, 'Hey,
do you know anything about the lunches that we offer?' "

Going Forward
Since the national push to build senior centers began with
the signing of the Older Americans Act in 1965, senior centers have evolved into numerous different types of facilities
and operating models. Some of the different models that Peter Thompson has seen are independent nonprofits, like his
own center, municipally-run centers, partnerships where
the city owns the building and a nonprofit runs the center,
private centers-and even a center in Charleston, South
Carolina, that is managed by the local hospital system.
" Being independent works very well for us, but I would
never say we're better simply because of that, " Thompson
says. " It has created a very strong ownership in our members...But I've also seen some of the best senior centers
in the country that are municipal centers. The commitment of the community and the strength and consistency
of leadership are really the key ingredients. "
Whatever the operating model or facility setup, Gabrielle Bolarakis says more active seniors are here to stay.
" I think it's a mistake to think of the Baby Boomers as
this generation that's going to come and go. I think the
active adult is here forever, so we just need to start programming for them, " Bolarakis says. " And for the most
part, in traditional parks and rec, we have the facilities;
we just need to provide the programs for them. "
elIzaBetH BearD is Managing Editor of Parks &

Recreation.

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May 2012 - Parks & Recreation

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