The Sebastopol Area Senior Center

promoting vibrant aging since 1969

The Sebastopol Area Senior Center:

  • Creates and maintains an environment that encourages independence for seniors.

  • Provides learning, social, and recreational opportunities in pursuit of an active, healthy life.

  • Provides resources and referrals for seniors, their family members, and other individuals.

  • Helps the greater community understand the aging process and the issues that surround that process.

Mission Statement

To create and maintain an environment that encourages independence for older adults by providing learning, social, and recreational opportunities in the continuing pursuit of a fulfilling and healthy life. We educate the community about the issues related to the aging process.

Values Statement

We, the Board, staff and volunteers of the Sebastopol Area Senior Center love our seniors!

We respect their wisdom and history, enjoy their humor, appreciate their contributions to society and address their changing needs with good programs and support.

No senior needs to face the challenges of aging alone.

Diversity Statement

The Sebastopol Area Senior Center welcomes people of every family composition, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability, religious background, ethnicity, race and gender. We encourage people to participate fully in every aspect of the Senior Center’s life and activities.

What We Hold Sacred

Fairness | Aging in Place | Respect | Independence | Innovation | Excellence | Support | Compassion | Life Experience | Community | Meaningful Life

We reach out to all seniors, keeping our services affordable specifically as an outreach to those in lower income brackets.

Our Vision

The Sebastopol Area Senior Center is:

  • An exciting place where adults can continue a lifetime of learning, and a safe place for the community to learn about seniors and senior issues.

  • A comfortable, cozy place; a home away from home; a place that smells like cookies in the oven

  • A place where seniors and others in the community can come to get comprehensive information about senior issues and to get reliable answers to their questions

  • An active place where people come to have fun together, to learn to live in healthy ways, and to make new friends

  • A place where virtually every participant is involved in planning, organizing, and carrying out the activities of the Center. A place where enthusiastic volunteers of many ages are involved in providing services to participants and in serving the greater community.

  • A place where connections are made between the Senior Center and the Community. We leverage our resources by working together with other community groups. We actively participate as an organization and as volunteers in other community activities.

A Brief History

The Senior Center has always been at 167 N. High Street, which was an approximately 100 year old former residence. This was the first senior center in Sonoma County, and the original Articles of Incorporation state that the purpose of the organization is "to engage in activities which will promote the general welfare of the elderly residents of the County of Sonoma and neighboring Counties..." so at that time the focus was not limited to the citizens of the Sebastopol, but was focused countywide and beyond. Click here to learn more about our history.


Services Provided

24,000 SERVICE UNITS PROVIDED!

Last year we provided 24,000 units of service here at the senior center to nearly 1,000 individuals. We provided over 3,000 rides to 830 riders and through Council on Aging provided 10,500 meals to home bound seniors and 10,400 congregate meals in-house.

To accomplish this we had nearly 150 volunteers, providing rides, delivering meals, assisting at our Legacy Thrift Store and helping here at the senior center.

Specifically, we provided:

CLASSES / PROGRAMS

Specifically, we provided:

  • Gentle Yoga

  • SAIL Balance classes

  • Chair Yoga

  • TED Talks

  • Tai Chi

MEMORY LOSS PROGRAM

The Council on Aging provides the Senior Social Club for those with early memory loss to about 15 participants 2 times a week. This program also provides respite for caregivers.

GAMES

About 50 seniors per week played games here

DISCUSSION & SUPPORT GROUPS

An average total of 45 seniors per week participated in:

  • Insurgent Writers’ Group (Virtual)

  • In The News

  • Men’s Support Group (put on by WCCS)

  • Declutter Support Group

  • Speaking of Death

INDIVIDUAL SERVICES

About 25 individuals per month received individual counseling or service:

  • Foot Care Clinic

  • HICAP (Assistance with signing up for CA health insurance)

  • Legal Aid

  • Information and Referrals through West County Community Services

  • SHARE Sonoma County (Housing Resource)

WORKSHOPS

The workshop topics were repeated 3 or 4 times per year. Attendance ranged from 5 – 50.

  • HICAP Medicare Fundamentals & Medicare 101

  • Seniors and Cannabis

  • Senior Scam Workshops

  • Memory Talks by the Alzheimer’s Association

DAY TRIPS

With an average attendance of 35, we offer monthly day trips:

  • The Marine Mammal Center tour & lunch

  • Fort Ross for Russian Festival

  • Armstrong Redwoods hike & lunch

  • Whale Watching

  • Sausalito Bay Model tour & lunch at Spinnaker

  • Mormon Tabernacle Choir at Green Music Center

  • Broadway Under the Stars by Transcendence Theatre

  • San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Cal Academy of Sciences

  • Rosie the Riveter Museum

  • Hamilton and Dinner in San Francisco

JUST FOR FUN

Throughout the year we offered activities and events with attendance from 30 – 1,500:

  • Apple Blossom Parade

  • Ice Cream Social

  • LGBTQI Dances 4 times/year with 75 in attendance

  • Aged To Perfection Dinner & Auction

  • Holiday Pot Luck

  • Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon