The Fontana Community Senior Center is in the final stages of construction along Ceres Avenue in Fontana. The impressive and important addition to the City is beautifully designed in the same Mission style architecture as the nearby senior housing. The iconic towers act like bookends to a spacious, open-air courtyard complimented by a robust outdoor fireplace. Inside the two-story, 43,000+ square foot center are many rooms designed to meet and exceed the needs of Fontana’s residents and seniors. There are rooms for classes and instruction and there are rooms for more leisurely activities such as the card parlor, the billiards room, computer lab and the digital theater. There’s also the library, arts and crafts room and an art gallery which will display artwork from local artists. Further¬more, multiple sitting areas are scattered throughout the building for reading or chatting. Additionally, there are conference and banquet rooms available for weddings, business meetings or other special events.
Many classes and instructional opportunities will be facilitated through the Community Center. In the multipurpose room, the various fitness classes taught will be geared towards seniors. The catering kitchen is where many cooking classes and activities will take place. In the computer lab, classes will focus on technology. The lab is also available for “drop-in”, where anyone can stop by to use the computers. Additionally, the Fine Arts Room offers classes facilitated through Fontana’s Art Depot Gallery.
Rooms in the Center offering even more activities for seniors include the Fitness Room, where residents can stop by and use the gym on their own time or signup for a structured fitness program. There’s a Billiards Room with two pool tables available for drop in billiards allowing people to play pool whenever they like. Similar to the Billiards Room, the Card Parlor is available for drop in use or seniors that want to join the card club and participate in card tournaments. The Fireside Room is host to the Social Hour and Wii Tournaments. In the Digital Theater seniors can relax and watch their favorite movies, shows or settle in for prearranged TV programming. The Senior Center also has a Library where books will be available for check out. The Art Gallery in the Senior Center offers local artists the opportunity to display their latest work for seniors and the public to enjoy.
The Dining Room at the Community Center is home to the Senior Nutrition program and seats approximately 150 guests. The Center’s nutrition program offers healthy, affordable and enjoyable three course meals Monday through Friday. If you don’t feel like dirtying the dishes at home, anyone can come out for a home-style lunch includ¬ing soup or salad, entrée, dessert and a beverage. The cost is $3 per senior and $5 for non-seniors. Lunch is served from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.
As the Community Senior Center comes online, the Senior Transportation program is likely to be expanded to meet the needs of Fontana’s seniors. The mission of the Senior Transportation program is to provide convenient, safe and affordable trans¬port services to seniors (55+) and disabled residents of Fontana. The service area covers various sites within Fontana city limits. Examples of locations include Kaiser Permanente, grocery stores, restaurants and other Fontana businesses. The program operates three vehicles daily 8:00 am – 3:00 pm Monday through Friday. To accommodate those with disabilities, one of the transportation vehicles has wheelchair access.
The success of Fontana’s senior programs relies upon volunteers who donate their time and talents to serving others. If you are interested in becoming part of a team committed to providing excellent customer service to the Fontana Community, volunteer opportunities are available. Call (909) 349-6900 for more information on how to get involved.
The Fontana Community Senior Center is a milestone for the senior community in Fontana and another example of how the City of Fontana and the Fontana Community Services Department continues to strive towards and achieve their mission of responding to the needs of the community through recreational, cultural and other human services programs. For more information on the Senior programs in Fontana call (909) 349-6900 or visit online at www.fontanarecreation.org.