The Gathering Place is starting a campaign to sell sponsorship advertisements that leaders hope will bring in enough money to purchase new exercise equipment for the senior center’s patrons.
Representatives of the senior center hope that they can collect enough to replace all but two of the current machines in the fitness center. To do that, they say they’ll need to raise $30,000.
Much of the exercise equipment is old and needs to be replaced, said Bill Rhodes, the executive director of The Gathering Place. Despite the aged Schwin Air Dynes and treadmills, the fitness center is a popular spot for many members of the senior center.
Rhodes said one recent day saw 28 use the fitness center, and it averages some 18 per day. Meanwhile, the center as a whole gets anywhere from 50-100 members stopping in each day, Rhodes said.
Sheldon Booze, chair of the board of directors, said volunteers have already begun reaching out to local businesses to sell advertisements that will be placed on both the inside and outside of The Gathering Place building on North Elm Street. There are also options for advertisements to be placed on the Gathering Place’s van.
The ads range from $1,000 for those placed outside of the building to $750 and $500 for those inside the center and on the van. Ads inside the building will go on doors, drink machines and inside the elevator, among other locations. The ads will be shown at those locations for a year, said Rhodes.
In addition to members using the building, The Gathering Place is rented out on weekends for parties and gatherings, and the center also holds dances some Saturday nights for the community at large, Rhodes said. The center also occasionally serves as an emergency shelter. Rhodes said there are about 200 members.
The Gathering Place operates through a partnership with the city of Henderson, which rents the building for $1 a year and offers in-kind utilities, said Rhodes. He said the partnership is built around the need to take care of local seniors.
The center is open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. and serves a $1.50 lunch at 11 a.m.
It’s also well-known locally for the Senior Games it hosts each year in which competitors mix it up in a variety of competitions, including throwing games like washers and cornhole and basketball and even cards, Rhodes said.
People 50 years and older can become a member. Membership for ages 50-59 is a $15 fee, while for those 60 and older the $15 fee is a suggested price, Rhodes said.
Booze and Rhodes said the center plans to conduct the sponsorship advertisement campaign annually and will determine the use of future funding for upgrades to the center.
Booze said he hopes businesses that have a lot of dealing with seniors get involved in the chance for more exposure. He said it’s all to keep local seniors as healthy as can be.
“I’m hoping we’ll get a lot of buy in,” Booze said.
