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Seniors can center social life

Feeling lonely? One of the most reliable places to find companionship, creativity, computer classes and more to keep you busy is your local senior center.

By ADELE WOODYARD
Published May 30, 2006

The Tampa Bay area has a variety of ways to counter the loneliness blues. Some groups, such as Bachelors and Belles in Tampa, are just for singles, but many facilities are open to the public no matter one's marital status.

Most retirement complexes offer several kinds of activities for residents. A few, such as the Fountains of Boca Ciega Bay, open some events to the community. Recent Tuesday afternoon meetings included speakers on subjects such as identity theft, mail fraud, and how to claim money you forgot you had. Next month's "Port of Call" lecture series will be about Hawaii.

Many religious denominations have programs for singles. For instance, the Palm Harbor United Methodist Church calls its group, open to all ages, Single Adults Coming Together. Monthly activities typically include bowling, picnics, concerts, nature trail hikes or visiting an attraction such as Heritage Village.

But for the widest selection of group activities, you can't beat the ubiquitous senior centers.

Major centers such as the Sunshine Center in St. Petersburg, the Barksdale and Life Enrichment Centers in Tampa, and the City of Pinellas Park center add such extras as foreign language classes, shuffleboard, billiards, a chorus, bowling, computers and computer classes. Membership fees are small or nonexistent, with minimal charges for some classes, such as yoga and computers.

"Here, there's no membership fee," says Kay Fusselman, 83, the manager of CARES Elfers Senior Center, in Pasco County "But classes cost $2, and $1 for general exercise."

The CARES center is in a one-story brick building at the end of a shady street. Several round tables covered in pink cluster in one corner of the large room. On a recent day, half a dozen men and women had set up their painting equipment near the back wall, while along another wall eight women played mah-jongg at two tables beneath the windows. The foursome at one table glanced up from the tiles to talk with a reporter.

"I'll be 91 in June," Bionca Frederico said. "Been coming here since my husband died in 1987." The petite woman, who moved to Florida from New York City 33 years ago, also plays pinochle, bridge and does hand quilting twice a week.

"I used to volunteer at Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital until two years ago, when I fell while I was carrying hot coffee," said Frederico, patting her stomach. "Still have the scars."

"That's when we told her to slow down," said Victoria Klepper, a fellow player from Long Island, with a laugh.

In the group of portrait painters, white-haired Pat Kitson posed for those behind the row of easels. A gold locket gleamed against her aqua shirt. As artists sketched, it was obvious none of the six were beginners.

Leader Nicholas Sacripante said he has been selected for both Tampa's Gasparilla Festival and St. Petersburg's Mainsail art shows.

The newest of the group's 13 members is 92-year-old Nicholas Pedersen, who said he'd left Michigan to move in with his daughter and son-in-law in September. After he lost his wife of 65 years, Pedersen said, "They didn't want me to live alone."

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Among the resources for older singles seeking companionship:

Pinellas County

Sunshine Center, 330 Fifth St. N, St. Petersburg, (727) 893-7101; Pinellas Park Senior Center, 7525 59th St. N, (727) 541-0776; Gulfport Senior Center, 5501 27th Ave. S, (727) 893-2237 or 893-1231; Gulfport Casino Ballroom, 5500 Shore Blvd. S, (772) 893-1070, www.ci.gulfport.fl.us; Hale Activity Center, 330 Douglas Ave., Dunedin, (727) 298-3299; Tarpon Springs Community Center, 400 S Walton Ave., (727) 942-5628; Upper Pinellas Singles Club, Dunedin, (727) 733-1201, ask for Carole; Palm Harbor United Methodist Church, 1551 Belcher Road, Palm Harbor, (727) 785-7487, www.phumc.net; the Fountains of Boca Ciega Bay, 1255 Pasadena Ave. S, St. Petersburg, (727) 347-2169), www.sunriseseniorliving.com.

Hillsborough County

Barksdale Senior Citizen Center, 1801 N Lincoln Ave., Tampa, (813) 348-1180, www.barksdalecenter@ tampagov.net; Life Enrichment Senior Center, 9704 N Boulevard, Tampa, (813) 932-0241, www.life enrichmenttampa.org; Riverside Senior Center, 829 W Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Suite 105, Tampa, (813) 272-7108; Westshore Senior Center, 4102 W Spruce St., Tampa, (813) 554-5156; Brandon Senior Center, 612 N Parsons Ave., Brandon, (813) 635-8064; Lutz Senior Center, 112 First Ave. NW, (813) 264-3803; Plant City Senior Center, 1205 W Water St., (813) 757-3824; Ruskin Senior Center, 901 Sixth St. SE, (813) 672-1106; Wimauma Senior Center, 5615 North St., (813) 671-7672.

Pasco County

CARES Elfers Senior Center, 4136 Barker Drive, (727) 847-1290; Hudson/Bayonet Point Enrichment Center, 12417 Clocktower Parkway, Bayonet Point, (727) 863-6868; Port Richey Center, 7505 Rottingham Road, (727) 862-9291; Zephyrhills Center, 4645 Airport Road, (813) 788-0471; CARES Crescent Enrichment Center, 13906 Fifth St., Dade City, (352) 518-9300.

Citrus County

East Citrus Community Center, 9907 E Gulf to Lake Highway, Inverness, (352) 795-3831, www.localendar.com/public/eastcitruscc; West Citrus Community Center, 8940 W Veterans Drive, Homosassa, (352) 795-6264.

Hernando County

Senior Center, 820 Kennedy Blvd., Brooksville, (352) 796-1425.

For help in locating a senior center near you, call your town's city hall, Chamber of Commerce or recreation department. Or go to www.google.com and type Florida Senior Center. Newspapers, particularly free ones, list events such as Bachelors and Belles Singles Dances in Tampa, Bay Area Singles Dances in Largo and Port Richey, among others.

[Last modified May 30, 2006, 07:38:28]