Community Center Focuses On Senior Needs and Adult Enrichment

There's a game of pickleball in the gym. Taxes are getting done in the banquet room. And a Zumba exercise group is dancing on the stage.

Welcome to the .

“This is a hustling, bustling, thriving place frequented by wonderful people from the community,” said Suzie Johnson, the center’s Senior Services and Adult Enrichment Coordinator. “This facility is used by the entire community, with the focus on senior needs and adult enrichment.”

Johnson, who grew up in Northville, came to work for the community center in November 2010, after years working at the Northville Chamber of Commerce.

Decades ago the building at 303 W. Main St. served as the cafeteria and gymnasium for local school kids before becoming a rec center. It was closed in 2002 for remodeling, and reopened in 2004 as the new location for the senior center.

“The senior center used to be at what is now The Art House,” explained Pat Brown, the Recreation Superintendent. "The center operates under Northville Parks & Recreation."

Carole Wilson, Kathy O’Brien and Marie Rahilly met in 2005 when they all took the same oxy-cise class, which combines breathing techniques with exercise, at the center. Their friendship developed from there.

“The three of us have been coming here for six, going on seven years,” Wilson said.

The exercise classes have changed since they first began going to the center, and there’s more variety. All three take Zumba Gold and Silver Strength Training classes. Rahilly takes yoga as well. Classes are offered on a pay-as-you-go basis, so participants don’t have to commit to a long-term schedule.

“Suzie is very open to suggestions,” O’Brien remarked. “Three weeks ago she met with a group of us to discuss how to get more people involved in the center.”

After their Zumba workout the friends hung out at the center for a few more minutes. They relaxed and talked in the living room, which has coffee, dining tables and chairs and comfortable furniture arranged around the fireplace.

“The center is beautiful,” said Rahilly. “It’s a friendly place.”

An array of activities, learning opportunities and services are offered at the center. For example, a six-week lecture series on topics such as estate administration and retirement accounts will begin on March 15. Blood pressure and glucose testing is provided each month. Movies are shown on Fridays. Simple tax preparations, sponsored by the AARP Foundation, are done every Thursday through April 7.

Transportation services are available to Northville residents who are 60 or older, or who have a disability. Chris Haas is the center’s Transportation Coordinator.

“We can arrange curb-to-curb transportation for senior and disabled residents,” Haas said.

Interested residents need to complete a form and schedule rides in advance. Regular shopping trips to Meijer, Kroger and Hiller’s Market are also scheduled.

The center is growing in other areas.

“We do joint ventures with other organizations,” Johnson said. “There’s an upcoming program called Gardening in Small Spaces. The Northville Library will provide the program and use our facility to present it.”

In addition to being a central gathering place for community members, the building has been rented for wedding receptions, Bar Mitzvah’s, business meetings and other events.