Fresno city officials on Monday introduced a new 1,800-square-foot senior center in central Fresno, intended to provide technology and fitness classes, along with cultural activities and arts appreciation, to older citizens.
Mayor Jerry Dyer and Councilmember Esmeralda Soria attended the ribbon cutting for the center at The Link @ Blackstone on Blackstone Avenue near McKinley Avenue.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held as the new senior community center opened at The Link housing development on Blackstone just south of McKinley Avenue on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
Dyer said the center would enable seniors to meet new friends, socialize and participate in a variety of activities and projects.
Mental health ‘so important’
“Mental health is so important,” Dyer said. “Getting out and interacting with others who are also retired helps keep you from feeling alone or depressed.”
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, third from right, and Council Member Esmeralda Soria, second from left, help at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new senior community center at The Link @ Blackstone on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
He called The Link project “a catalyst that gets everything going. You are going to see the day when tens of thousands of people live on Blackstone, walking around their neighborhoods, with the ability to go shopping in their neighborhood.”
Housing for 88 families
Soria said The Link provides low-cost housing for 88 families, many of them seniors. The senior center will be a place where they can go to get a hot meal, do exercises including yoga, and “build computer skills so they can stay connected.”
An excited and thankful Roberta Lopez, a resident of The Link @ Blackstone, thanks Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer for the new senior community center that opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
The Link @ Blackstone resident Mary Ayala, left, chats with Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer after a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the new senior community center Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, in Fresno. Ayala was happy to have a place to socialize. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
Supporters, including residents of The Link @ Blackstone, gather in the newly opened senior community center to celebrate with food and drinks Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, in Fresno. The center will provide city of Fresno services run by staff for those living at The Link @ Blackstone as well as the surrounding community, including computer classes, fitness and dance, arts and a place to gather socially. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
This story was originally published November 29, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
A native of Colorado, Jim Guy studied political science, Latin American politics and Spanish literature at Fresno State University, and advanced Spanish grammar in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
