More Than a Senior Center: Staying Active, Connected and Engaged in Elizabeth City

By Tanya Wiker-Johnson, ECDI Board Member, Promotions Committee

Walk through the doors of the Elizabeth City Pasquotank County Senior Center and you may need to rethink everything you thought you knew about senior centers. There are fitness classes and personal training. Spanish lessons and technology classes. Watercolor, string art and drawing. Pool tables, card games, yoga and social activities. There are day trips to places like casinos, shopping destinations, Jennette’s Pier and movie theaters; there are even opportunities for overnight adventures that take members well beyond northeastern North Carolina. And if you think 55 sounds a little young to be called a senior, that’s okay. You’re still invited.

For Superintendent of ECPC Senior Center Kenny White, MBA, CYSA, and Recreation Programming Specialist Mardia Stafford, the mission is bigger than simply filling a calendar with activities. The  Elizabeth City Pasquotank County Senior Center  is about giving adults 55 and older a place to remain active, continue learning, build friendships and, most importantly, stay connected. “We’re like a small environment where everybody comes together,” White explained.

Not Just Sitting Around

One of the biggest misconceptions about the Senior Center may be contained in the words senior center themselves. People who have never visited may picture a quiet building where older adults simply sit around passing the time. That is definitely not the picture White painted. “You come in and you're just thinking it’s a senior center, but you don’t know what we offer here,” he said.

On any given day, members may be exercising, learning another language, figuring out new technology, playing pool or cards, making art or planning their next adventure. Spanish and technology classes are among the programs White believes surprise newcomers the most. Think about that for a moment: At 55, 65, 75 or beyond, someone can walk through the doors and decide it’s finally time to learn Spanish. They can become more comfortable with technology. They can learn to draw or paint, try yoga or discover a new fitness routine. There is no expiration date on learning something new. And apparently, there isn’t one on adventure either.

Have Senior Center, Will Travel

The ECPC Senior Center's travel opportunities have become another important part of its programming. Members participate in both day trips and overnight excursions. Recent travel has included a trip to West Virginia featuring concerts, performances, trails and a train ride. The Center also has a December trip to Dollywood planned (Rest in Paradise, Dolly). Other excursions have included shopping trips, casinos, Jennette’s Pier and the movies. Longer trips give members an opportunity to see places they may not have otherwise experienced, and they get to experience them together.

The requirement for joining this very active club is relatively simple: Members must be at least 55 years old. Annual membership is $20, with a quarterly option available for $5. The Elizabeth City Pasquotank County Senior Center serves hundreds of seniors and, according to White, continues to welcome new faces, averaging roughly 30 new members a month. For someone hesitant because they don't know anyone, White has a simple suggestion: Come take a tour. He believes once people actually see what happens inside the building and meet the staff and members, the perception of what a senior center is quickly changes.

A Place to Be Around People

Behind all the classes, trips and activities is something harder to put on a recreation calendar: companionship. For some members, coming to the ECPC Senior Center may be one of the most meaningful social interactions of their day. White spoke particularly about seniors who have lost a spouse or who simply find themselves spending more time alone. Sometimes they don't need another program. They need a conversation. They need someone to play cards with. Someone to shoot pool with. Someone to exercise beside. Someone to laugh with. Someone who notices when they walk through the door. The ECPC Senior Center provides that opportunity. A member can come in for a morning workout, spend time socializing and then head over to the nutrition program at the Downtown Community Center for lunch. Afterward, they can participate in activities there or return to the ECPC Senior Center for the rest of the afternoon. In other words, what might have been a long day at home can become a full day of movement, conversation, learning and community.

Lunch + a Little More

The Albemarle Commission supported nutrition program operates at the Downtown Community Center at 309 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Meals are provided free to eligible seniors, but lunch isn't necessarily the only reason people stay. Programming at the nutrition site includes activities such as Bingo, puzzles, arts and crafts, movie days and ice cream socials. Educational programming is incorporated as well, including presentations about topics such as fall prevention. Transportation services through the Inter-County Public Transportation Authority (ICPTA) can help participants travel between locations and home. The result is a beautiful partnership and gathering place where food addresses one need while fellowship addresses another.

Wellness Goes Beyond Exercise

Physical activity remains one of the ECPC Senior Center's most popular offerings, but wellness programming stretches beyond working out. Community organizations and professionals are invited to speak with seniors about subjects that directly affect their lives, including scams, mental health awareness and other health and safety issues. Blood-pressure screenings and CPR training opportunities have also been offered. The Elizabeth City Pasquotank County Senior Center even has access to a personal trainer. The goal is not simply to keep seniors busy. It is to help them stay informed, independent and engaged.

Listening to the People They Serve

Perhaps one reason the Center offers such a wide variety of programs is that staff members don't simply decide what seniors should enjoy. They ask them. White described members almost like extended family—the aunts, uncles, grandmothers and grandfathers who aren't shy about telling staff what they like, what they don't like and what they would like to see next. Staff listens and then works to accommodate. That feedback helps shape programming, which includes everything from fitness and yoga to watercolor, string art, drawing, technology, Spanish and make-and-take craft classes. Some specialty programs require an additional fee to cover supplies. A wreath-making class, for example, may carry a materials fee even though participants are already members. However, every effort is made to keep costs to a minimum. But the philosophy remains the same: provide opportunities that keep people trying, learning and participating.

Connecting the Elizabeth City Pasquotank County Senior Center to the Community

The connection doesn't stop at the Elizabeth City Pasquotank County Senior Center's doors. The building itself can serve the community in another way. Its banquet space is available for rentals outside normal programming hours and can accommodate events such as weddings, receptions, baby showers and parties. Inside, members also have access to computers and the internet, a small take-and-share library and spaces where they can simply sit, watch television or socialize. There doesn't always have to be an activity scheduled. Sometimes having somewhere to go is enough.

What Happens After 5?

During our conversation, one question proved harder than the others: What are seniors in our community still missing? After discussing fitness, education, nutrition, transportation, recreation and social opportunities, the answer wasn't immediately obvious. But eventually the conversation moved beyond what happens inside the Elizabeth City Pasquotank County Senior Center. What happens after seniors go home? For those with family nearby, the answer may be dinner with children or grandchildren, phone calls and visits. For others (particularly those who have lost spouses or don't have relatives close by) the evenings can become very quiet. That sparked an idea during our conversation: What if the larger community became more intentional about checking on its seniors? Not necessarily through another complicated program, but through simple human connection. A phone call. A visit. A neighbor checking in. Maybe even an “adopt-a-senior” style initiative connecting community members with older adults who could use a little extra companionship. Because staying connected shouldn't end when the Elizabeth City Pasquotank County Senior Center Center closes. We can all help. 

Come See for Yourself

White was quick to credit the staff that makes everything happen. The team includes full- and part-time employees who plan programs, coordinate activities, work directly with members and keep the ECPC Senior Center moving each day. White describes them as the people who “run the show.” And with hundreds of seniors being served and new members continuing to walk through the doors, it is quite a show. The best way to understand it may simply be to visit. Take the tour. Look at the fitness area. Check out a class. Ask about the next trip. Find out what's happening that week. Sit down and talk to somebody. Because the Elizabeth City Pasquotank County Senior Center isn't a place where life slows down. For many of its members, it's where the next part begins. And whether that next part involves learning Spanish, taking a train ride through West Virginia, picking up a paintbrush, working out, playing a game of cards or simply finding someone to share a conversation with, there is room for it here. At 55 and beyond, there is still plenty left to learn, plenty left to see and plenty of people left to meet.