During the Yelm City Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 3, Yelm Senior Center’s executive director requested an increase in city-issued funding to $21,000 next year as volunteers run all the operations.
Yelm City Council will use its discretion on whether or not the local organizations that took the podium during the Sept. 3 meeting will receive the funding requested.
Jeannie James, the organization’s executive director, said that all of the Yelm Senior Center instructors, including herself, are volunteers. The money needed would go toward monthly expenses, which James said totals around $3,000. The organization has a total of 237 members, she added.
“I can’t say how many of them live within the Yelm city limits, but 154 of them live in the 98597 zip code. The rest of our members, the most of them are from Roy, McKenna or Rainier,” James said during the meeting. “On average, we have 727 people signing in every month to take part in the things that we offer.”
Yelm said the center relies on membership dues, building usage, fundraisers, grants, donations and what they receive from the city to continue operations. She said no matter what the city decides to give, the organization will remain thankful.
In addition to serving 237 seniors, James said that Yelm Senior Center frequently welcomes the family of center-members to attend events and meals, creating a warm and friendly environment for everyone to enjoy.
“In addition to our members, we serve the member’s families. If you have aging parents, or if you are aging yourself, you think about your parents and what they have to do,” James said. “A lot of the families of the members we have are happy to know they have a place for their parents to come in and be involved.”
In the past, Yelm Senior Center has served as a cooling center, coordinating with Thurston County, and James added the building will be available for the same service in the future if need be. The organization also offers yearly CPR courses and welcomes members to attend different daily events throughout the week.
Yelm Senior Center recently celebrated its 50th anniversary in December of 2023, and marked the milestone by hosting a winter social and auction event. The event raised $21,000 in efforts to pay off the organization’s mortgage before 2026 arrives.
The organization serves as an activities hub for the region’s local seniors, and collaborates with local businesses like Grocery Outlet, Uptown Lounge and others to ensure a friendly, fun and memorable environment stays present at the center.
For more information about Yelm Senior Center, visit its website at mobile.yelmseniorcenter.comcastbiz.net.
