The Senior Center in Olympia, Washington, is on Columbia Street Northwest between Olympia Avenue Northeast and State Avenue Northwest. The nonprofit organization Senior Services for South Sound oversees the Senior Center, which is located inside The Olympia Center. Seniors can find a variety of activities to participate in at The Olympia Center throughout the year.
Throughout the year, the Olympia Senior Center has a variety of special events. Events typically occur around a holiday, such as Labor Day or Christmas. A "Christmas in September" has also been sponsored in previous years. Festivities vary for each event, but typically include refreshments or a meal and opportunities for seniors to socialize. Special events at the Olympia Senior Center are typically free to attend.
To encourage physical activity, The Olympia Center offers seniors a variety of options for recreation. The center has an exercise class geared toward seniors that features movements designed to improve flexibility, coordination and balance. Called Enhanced Fitness, the class meets for one hour and offers basic, intermediate and advanced levels, each of which lasts one hour. Yoga and tai chi classes are also offered regularly for seniors at the center. The center may also feature special exercise classes like Zumba or Wii Fit Gaming sessions. The exercise classes require participants to pay a fee for each class, but some group health insurance plans will cover the cost of the classes for seniors. Registration is necessary to participate.
In addition to formal classes, the center also offers clubs related to physical activity. The Walking Club meets weekly to exercise together as well as a tai chi club. The center also has open gym days for seniors to participate in informal sports.
The Senior Center organizes trips and outings for seniors at the center as well as for other adults in the community. Trips depart to special events such as area festivals as well as to regional attractions such as the Seattle Art Museum and the Lucky Eagle Casino. A special mystery trip is also held each month with a surprise destination announced as the tour departs. All trips depart from the Senior Center in a chartered bus. Costs for trips vary. Some include a meal, while others require seniors to bring along their own lunch. Registration is necessary to participate.
The Olympia Senior Center offers a variety of educational courses and workshops throughout the year. Seniors interested in learning computer skills can take one-day courses on topics such as using the Internet, playing and downloading digital music and using software programs like Excel. Longer, six-week computer courses are also available that cover beginning and intermediate computing. Spanish and sign language classes are offered as well as weekly craft sessions. Numerous arts courses are held at the center such as watercolors and writing fiction. Classes require registration. Prices vary from class to class.
Seniors can also choose to join in clubs that meet at the center. Game clubs meet for members to participate in activities such as pinochle or billiards with one another. Reading and poetry groups, knitting and woodworking groups and support groups to help seniors struggling with personal issues are also featured at the center.
