BURLINGTON — The Burlington Senior Center in Racine County is now operating independently from the city, marking a significant transition as the facility continues to provide critical services for area seniors.
The center has been located at 587 E. State St. in Burlington since 2017. In early October, the center purchased the property and building from the City of Burlington for $1.
"The senior center has matured as an organization and is finally ready to stand on its own," Burlington Mayor Jon Schultz said. "They're excited and ready to develop a long-term fundraising plan, continue to grow programming, control their own destiny, and extend their reach to help as many people as possible."
While the center offers daily activities like bingo and tai chi, the center's offerings go beyond entertainment. Programming is intended to provide essential support during difficult times.
Watch: Visitors applaud services as Burlington Senior Center begins new chapter
"It's my way of surviving," said Marcy Mendicino, who said she visits the center five days a week.
Mendicino explained that people come to the center for various reasons, describing the range as "as simple as loneliness and as complex as recovering from a shocking loss."
She said people at the center have a "purpose to keep going on, enjoying your life the best you can."
Both Mendicino and fellow visitor Kay Wagner began utilizing the center's services after losing their husbands.
Wagner said she learned about the Burlington Senior Center from her hairdresser, who recommended the grief classes offered there.
"I had lost my husband, and she knew they had a grief class here. And she said, 'You really should go to it,'" Wagner said.
The center has fostered meaningful connections for participants like Wagner, who met her friend Sharon through the grief support program. The two now travel together extensively.
"We've been all over: Europe, Hawaii, we just got back from New York and Niagara Falls," Wagner said.
Combating loneliness is one of the center's primary goals. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared loneliness a public health epidemic.
"As I did a lot of research, it turns out it needs to be only one hour a week of socialization in order to be 65% effective in keeping dementia and depression at bay," Burlington Senior Center Executive Director Patti Rosenberg said. "If we can get them here once a week, just once a week for an hour, then it's effective in changing their life."
The center's visitors can attest to the impact.
"It has been tremendous for helping me get through this horrific time," Mendicino said.
Rosenberg said the center serves 1,600 visitors a month. That's up from the 300 a month they were serving in 2017. The center saw a large increase in visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Schultz, who also serves as a board member for the center, said the transition will allow the city to reduce spending and potentially benefit the senior center's fundraising efforts.
Burlington Senior Center Board Chair Kathy Baumeister agrees and said owning the property may open the door for more grants and prompt people to be more generous.
"We're counting on it," Baumeister said.
Regular visitors say they hope the center will maintain its current level of service and potentially expand.
"It's already so good, it's overwhelming," Mendicino said.
The center's leadership has outlined immediate goals for their independent operation, including adding lighting to the parking lot, possible repaving, and building a rainy day fund.
Longterm goals include installing a bocce ball court and an ADA-compliant walking path.
The center is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information about the Burlington Senior Center, visit burlingtonseniorcenter.com.
This story was reported on-air by journalist Lauren Sklba and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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