(Added: WSB photo, center’s executive director Amy Lee Derenthal and board president Dawn Schaper)
8:50 AM: We are at Alki Masonic Center in The Junction, where what was the Senior Center of West Seattle has just concluded its annual fundraising breakfast with the “big reveal” of its new name: The Center for Active Living. They’ll be celebrating all day at the center (California/Oregon). More on the event, and what’s next, later!
ADDED 12:24 PM: The new name is meant to showcase “the vibrancy” of the center as a “welcome and inclusive place for everyone.” And the center is growing – more than 1,300 members, double what it was pre-pandemic (despite a nearly 50 percent drop during the pandemic peak) – the youngest 27, the oldest 102.
Memberships alone won’t sustain the center, as more members – and visitors – means more users for its services. So this morning’s goal was $50,000, “to make sure this community has everything it needs to support people as they age,” explained emcee Ryan Sheaffer. In our clip below, you’ll hear from him as well as some of the event speakers – one of the center’s 150+ volunteers, Joe Lamy; executive director Amy Lee Derenthal; and supporter John Bennett:
The “big reveal” itself was announced from the stage at the end of the program, as was the artist chosen for the new mural that will grace the center’s exterior, as well as the team overhauling the center website.
Then the members in attendance got to go home with a goodie bag featuring the center’s new logo/name:
Assisting in the morning’s fundraising was Nucor Steel, which pledged to match donations up to $15,000:
Besides the new name, Derenthal said they’re expecting to grow beyond the 40 classes and activities they already offer each week (and the lineup is already varied, she reminded everyone, with recent offerings such as Cannabis 101 and Pickleball Injury Prevention) in addition to their café (open for lunch!) and Stop & Shop thrift store. The newly renamed Center for Active Living promises to be “a place where our community can gather, learn and thrive.”
WHAT’S NEXT: Signage with the new name was expected to go up today. It’ll be a “few months” before we see the work of selected muralist Brady Black joining it.
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