The senior center is a beautiful facility that offers membership to seniors 50 and over for only $15 per year. This includes all activities and functions at the facility plus special trips and events at reasonable prices. Volunteers at the center assist with activities ranging from games – pinochle, gin rummy, bunko and bingo – to movies and billiards. You can enjoy the company of your peers while relaxing with a game or a puzzle or just participating in some fine conversation. The center also sponsors informational talks about Medicare, and holds counseling sessions.
Movies, books, puzzles and music disks are available on an honor system and can be borrowed like library materials. Take home a good book, and when you’re done, return it for another. You can also donate those used books or movies you’ve read or seen so often you can recite them by heart.
Last year I spent a day scooping ice cream at one of the center’s socials. It was great fun – and it was free. Special parties for Halloween plus Mother’s and Father’s Day are all available. Donna started Friends, Food and Fun, an event featuring local vendors showing their wares and offering free goodies. The center provides entertainment, line dancing, barbecues and even casino trips at reasonable rates.
Approximately five years ago the senior center moved from downtown to the Griffith Lane building, which is owned by the city. Tri Delta Transit makes numerous pickup and return runs for those who don’t drive. The drivers are gracious and the charge is minimal. You can even call them for special pickup times and they’ll try to accommodate you.
One of the nicest things I heard about from Donna was the center’s CC Café meal program for those over 60, subsidized by Contra Costa County. The program serves lunch Mondays through Fridays for a donation of $2. Although membership in the center is a wonderful thing, it’s not mandatory if you’re over 60 and need a hot meal. Just call ahead and let the folks at the center know you’re coming so they can make sure the kitchen is fully stocked and no one is turned away. If you decide to cancel, a call is appreciated so they can allow others to come in your place.
The Brentwood Senior Activity Center is open Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 9 a.m. to noon on Friday. The center is always looking for volunteers, and I can tell you: volunteering is just as much fun as being a member. Still growing, the Brentwood Senior Citizens Club’s 400 members enjoy fun activities with fine friends. There’s no need to sit on your couch all day watching reruns of “Law and Order” when you can share time with delightful people and stay active.
For more information, call 925 634-6982 – then go have some fun!
Marla Luckhardt is a Discovery Bay resident and member of the East Contra Costa Senior Coalition. She works with several local senior care and advocacy groups. To contact her, e-mail marla2054@aol.com.
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