Making a community impact through Blaine Senior Center

I am lucky that I have a job I love. I am surrounded by amazing people with whom I get to connect in such special ways every day. I sometimes wish I could show others how astounding my day is. I am surrounded by smart, caring people who show me how exceptional life can be. I am a senior center director in Blaine.

Now my view of my 50-plus community is my perspective. I believe that experience of life and success, and failures, helps to create empathy, wisdom, and amazing skill in the individual. My goal is to live a long life, and the modeling of others who are succeeding is inspiring. 

The 50-plus community is the largest age group demographic in Blaine. Our older generations have the strongest voting power, great buying power and the ability to positively shape our community. This group is going to continue to grow. Why? We are living longer and more fruitful lives. My goal every day is to show the community that as we get older, we get better. Living a long and happy life is high on the goals list. Blaine Senior Center is not a convalescent home – we are a center for active living. 

We have worked hard to make our center beautiful. We have added classes to educate, stimulate and help us grow. We have launched health programs to connect with our bodies. We have opened our center to the community with programs of art, music, food and laughter. But we need to do more.

Blaine needs us. We have almost 900 members at the center. We are teachers, volunteers, craftsmen, doctors, blue- and white-collar workers, artists, mothers, fathers and more. We are strong and we can make a difference. We are asking you to join our center not because you need us, but because we need you. Blaine needs you.

There is power in numbers. The center is a location where community issues can have a platform. It’s where we can be educated and objective to key issues we face. 

We also can have an impact on programs to help the community feel nurtured. This means music, art and fun, but also established programs to clean our neighborhoods, educate our youth and young families, and support our city with skill, thoughtfulness and volunteerism.

We have a center that our community can lean on in good and bad times. We can complain about Blaine’s issues, or as the elder generations, we can lead by example. 

We have the time, and we have the skillset. There is power within community and connection. This is how we tackle the problem of ageism in our community, within ourselves, and how we nurture the life we have left and make our community better. 

This “Blaine 50-plus center for active living” has a goal to bring relevancy, opportunity and support to our 50-plus community. Sometimes this is in the form of helping those who need it. Often it is to uplift the lives of those motivated to live a full life. It is also to add meaning to our lives. To share gratitude for what we have, to give resources to those who want to make a difference, and to create an impact that makes our community better for everyone. 

This is the power of being an elder in our community.

Pete Nelson is executive director of Blaine Senior Center.