Corbin Senior Activity Center is committed to serving its 1,400 members despite facing uncertainty from the organization's funding sources, says the senior center's Executive Director Claudia Ouwerkerk.

Located at 827 W. Cleveland, in Spokane's Emerson Garfield neighborhood, Corbin Senior Activity Center has been operating since 1968, following the purchase of the former Corbin Park Methodist Church building by area community members who wanted to create a space for seniors in the neighborhood, says Ouwerkerk. 

The senior activity center is a nonprofit organization affiliated with Spokane Parks & Recreation, which provides support to 13 other community centers across Spokane, she says.

Corbin Senior Activity Center receives some funding from the city, in addition to funds from community donations, and earns revenue by hosting events and travel excursions in the community and internationally.

Funding provided by the city of Spokane — $31,500 annually, or about $2,600 a month — has not increased since 2013, she says. So, with aging infrastructure, rising community needs, and a monthly operating cost of $45,000, the center is relying more on other funding sources to keep its doors open.

“There is an ongoing battle to try and help support us, because we're in a downturn in the economy,” Ouwerkerk says. "The need for a community center, the need for food, the need for fellowship, the need for all that is extremely high right now. Corbin always prided itself on being extremely well versed and being able to bring opportunities to seniors.”

Corbin Senior Activity Center operations also depend on community generosity, which has consistently helped sustain the nonprofit's activities in previous times of need. For instance, when all eight of the building's furnaces failed at once, individual donors and businesses stepped in to help. A fundraiser was established that brought in $27,000 and Spokane-based Cline’s Air Conditioning Service Inc. donated labor and a free furnace, she says. Avista Corp. also helped connect the organization with three different assistance programs. The center was awarded $98,000 from the utility provider to cover a remaining cost of the $136,000 replacement project.

When funding becomes tight, Corbin relies more on its own programs to fund its operations through hosting events, providing rentals, and other creative revenue streams to help keep its lights on, says Ouwerkerk.

Corbin Senior Activity Center partners with companies such as Pawtucket, Rhode Island-based Collette Travel Service Inc. and Littleton, Colorado-based Avalon Waterways to offer local, national, and international trips to interested seniors. Tours bring in about $90,000 a year — the center's largest income source. Shorter, day trips are scheduled on a regular basis, including trips to restaurants, sightseeing opportunities, and other seasonal activities.

“We provide the transportation. We get them to and from their destinations,” Ouwerkerk says of the excursions.

Larger events are also hosted by the organization to earn revenue, she says. Corbin Senior Activity Center has recently hosted what Ouwerkerk describes as “the world’s No. 2 Elvis impersonator,” which attracted more than 100 guests to the venue. 

Another popular event hosted by the nonprofit includes The Mad Hatter Tea, which drew 120 attendees who spent $25 a ticket. Ouwerkerk herself dressed as the Mad Hatter and the event also featured a fashion show and other entertainment. 

“I did a poem as I'm walking through the crowd and just having fun with it,” she says. “And then we had a fashion show, and all of the tables had whimsical centerpieces that we sold to help bring money in.”

Corbin also hosts daily activities in addition to the larger events and tours.

“We have people out here that sit and just play cards, that's what they want to do,” says Ouwerkerk. “Then you have those that just want to travel. And then you have those that just want to dance. It's whatever suits your fancy.”

Ouwerkerk says all ages are welcome at the activity center, where current members range from 30 to 100 years old — and there are numerous activities to appeal to a variety of interests. Alongside longtime favorites such as cribbage, pinochle, and pool, the center offers line dancing and ballroom dancing, tap dance classes, yoga, balance and stability classes, painting and creative arts sessions, cruises, and international and cross-country tours.

Additionally, the nonprofit's lunch program draws in the community four days a week, where seniors receive soup, a salad bar, a hot entree, dessert, and drinks for a suggested $5 donation. 

“If they can pay, great,” Ouwerkerk says. “If not, we take care of it.”

A program through Spokane nonprofit Feed Spokane also offers supporty by bringing in recovered food twice weekly, and the center’s distribution permit allows it to safely share the food with its members.

Corbin has five employees and also works with about 40 volunteers. The center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. It also offers a boutique, open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., with donated clothing and accessories for sale.