Senior Center Wants to Reach Out to More Seniors

Loma Linda’s Senior Center Board canceled its Tuesday meeting due to a lack of quorum.

Three of five members were in attendance. The group instead held a brief informal conversation where they touched on ongoing issues. The most pressing issue is finding ways to bring more members of the senior community into the center.

“Some of the programs do very well, others not as well,” said Joanne Heilman, senior center manager.

Some programs bring in dozens of people, while others may bring in a handful, she said.

A few weeks before the meeting, the senior center had started bringing a country music band during the Tuesday lunch hour. The band was bringing in more seniors, but it was also turning a few others away, she said.

“The challenge we face is that we’re not going to please everyone,” she said. “But we’re trying our best to give everyone something they can enjoy.”

Meantime, the center’s Ukulele Club, which invites ukulele strummers to come out and make music, draws between 50 to 60 people. The club is promoted through other ukulele club listings.

Committee member George Pendered said he attended a club gathering and took and informal poll with a surprising result.

“I asked how many people there were Loma Linda residents, maybe 10 hands went up,” he said.

The city and the surrounding community centers are finding it challenging to entice many of the city’s seniors to come out.

“A lot of people are coming out from surrounding cities,” Heilman said. “They can because they are mobile. We just have to figure out a way to reach our residents.”

The next Senior Center Board meeting is scheduled for April 19.