Corbin senior center celebrates 40 years

Forty years ago, the Corbin Senior Activity Center opened in an early-1900s Methodist church to serve seniors with potlucks, card parties and crafts.

On Friday, the center at 827 W. Cleveland Ave. will celebrate its 40th anniversary with entertainment and cake. The event starts at 1:30 p.m., and will include not only reminiscing, but talk about where the center is headed and how it can improve services to seniors.

Today, the center has 1,200 members from across the region. Its services have expanded well beyond the initial mission of providing a place for seniors to socialize.

While card games remain a mainstay, there is also a wealth of programs such as tours, driving classes, dancing and seminars.

“You come to meet new people. You form new friendships,” said Director Christa Richardson.

Darlyne Lamb, of Mead, had been single for 12 years when she went on a hike sponsored by the center and met fellow member, Bill Fisher, of Spokane, who has been her romantic companion since. In the nine years since they met, the couple has traveled the world.

“That was a wonderful surprise for both of us,” Lamb said.

Lamb and Fisher are the type of active seniors who enjoy what the senior center offers.

Shirley Wihlborg, the leader of the Corbin Hikers group, is in her 80s and keeping up with other seniors on their weekly four-mile hikes.

“I have all of these 80-year-old role models I think I want to be like,” Lamb said.

The Corbin senior center is the most active among the city’s seven senior programs, according to figures compiled by the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department.

In 2007, the center logged 250,740 participant hours, the most since 2004 when the center had 248,000 participant hours.

In comparison, the popular Southside Senior Activity Center had 157,000 participant hours last year.

The Corbin senior center is unique in that it operates independently on a series of grants, rental income, revenue from its tour program and community partnerships. The steering committee of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood provides financial support through its community development funding allocation. Also, the Spokane Parks Foundation has helped the center financially.

The city parks department provides $35,000 a year for operations, but that is a drop in the bucket compared with the center’s annual operating budget of $576,000. The center has three full-time and two part-time employees.

In addition to senior programs, the center hosts community classes, including 25 through the Community Colleges of Spokane.

Not all of the programs for seniors are for entertainment. There are serious subjects such as tax advice and a monthly legal seminar.

Richardson said she is trying to help seniors prepare for the time when they might not be able to live independently. The center offers a “progressive lunch” each month in which the participants go to three different retirement communities to find out what they offer and how much it costs. That way, members will know where they might want to live should they need to move into an assisted living environment in the future, she said.

After Friday’s anniversary party, the next big event at the center is an old-fashioned tea on June 13 at 1 p.m. Tickets are available at the center. For more information, call 327-1584.