‘A robust spectrum of opportunities’: How suburban senior center is changing with the times
Every Thursday, a small group of women gather in a back room at the GENCenter in Des Plaines to sew and chat.
Working by hand and with electric machines, they put needle and colored thread through fabric to create art while building friendships.
“The people are wonderful,” said Mary Cameron, a 75-year-old Des Plaines resident who’s been coming to the sessions for more than a decade.
The quilting and needlework club is just one of the many activities available at the newly rechristened community center at 52 E. Northwest Highway.
Formerly the Frisbie Senior Center, the nonprofit organization offers recreational and physical fitness activities, social events and other programs and services for older Northwest suburban residents.
It was renamed this month to coincide with a nearly completed, $250,000 renovation and an expanded focus that now includes programs for middle-aged suburbanites who are taking care of their parents and children.
Cameron thinks that’s a great idea.
“If you can use the building more and make it intergenerational, it’s a definite plus,” she said.
‘Engage, socialize, learn’
The Frisbie Senior Center reported more than 20,000 visitors last year. Most came for fitness-related activities. Social events and recreational activities were big draws, too, Executive Director Steve Samuelson said.
The center also assisted people with health screenings, provided temporary accessible parking placards and delivered thousands of meals to homebound Des Plaines residents, among other activities.
“I got my taxes done here,” said Eva Rill, a 71-year-old Mount Prospect resident who’s also a new sewing group member.
The organization launched in 1975 as a joint effort from Des Plaines city officials and the Des Plaines Park District. Initial activities were held in Immanuel Lutheran Church’s rectory.
The following year, the program formally incorporated as the Des Plaines Community Senior Center.
As program participation grew, so did the need for space. In 1980, the senior center moved into a city-owned building on Rose Avenue that now is home to Willows Academy. It eventually relocated again to the park district’s Prairie Lakes Recreation Center.
But the big move happened about 20 years ago when the center shifted to its current storefront home — a former Osco Drug store — in the Cumberland Commons plaza and changed its name to the Frisbie Senior Center. That moniker honored longtime member Eva Frisbie, who donated $1 million to help purchase, renovate and equip the site.
Large, glass plaques honoring Frisbie and other top donors hang in a hallway at the center, which has an annual budget of about $1 million.
The center’s amenities include a fitness room, a library and a computer lab. In one well-lit area, billiards and foosball tables await players. Elsewhere, table tennis is a popular draw.
The weekly program schedule is full. In addition to the sewing group, folks gather for exercise classes, card games, dominoes, pickleball, tai chi and many more activities.
“The center’s program portfolio offers a robust spectrum of opportunities for older adults to engage, socialize, learn and receive the support and resources necessary to age in place here in the immediate community,” Samuelson said.
Changing trends
The rebranding to the GENCenter was approved by the organization’s board of directors last year following an internal study of the center’s operations, its place in the community and changing trends, Samuelson said.
People are living longer and many young adults are struggling to find financial independence, leading to the creation of what’s been called “the sandwich generation” — middle-aged adults who care for parents and children. Nearly one-quarter of adults in the U.S. fall into that category, according to a 2021 Pew Research Center survey, and the GENCenter means to meet their needs.
The facility was closed for the first few weeks of January to accommodate the physical improvements. Equipment and flooring were replaced. Fresh paint was added to the walls.
The exterior signage still reads Frisbie Senior Center, but that should be updated soon.
“There are a few more phases that need to be completed,” Samuelson said. “My hope is that work will be done by the end of March.”
If you go: The GENCenter
Address: 52 E. Northwest Highway, Des Plaines
Hours: Weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Membership: Single is $75 for one year or $130 for two; for a couple, $120 for one year or $220 for two. Nonmembers can participate in many programs with a $5 daily fee.
Phone: (847) 768-5944
Web: genctr.org
Source: GENCenter