On a bright Friday morning in April, the Spokane Valley Senior Center buzzed with activity. A table tennis meeting appeared in full swing, plastic balls pinging back and forth. Groups of people stared at the cards in their hands, deep in focus during a bridge tournament.

On the bottom floor, pinochle players congregated in the art room, and across the hall, a handful of men shot pool.

Many experienced pool players attend the senior center, says Ron O’Reilly, who joined the center more than a year ago. 

“I’ve gotten a lot better by just coming in here and practicing,” he says.

O’Reilly is one of more than 700 members of the senior center, which occupies 15,000 square feet of space at the CenterPlace Regional Event Center, at 2426 N. Discovery Place. Established in 1973, the center offers a variety of different activities and events for people 50 and older, says Donnah Ballard, president of the Spokane Valley Senior Citizens Association's board of directors. The center is a partnership between the City of Spokane Valley and the Spokane Valley Senior Citizens Association, according to the center's website.

“It’s just a place for people to come,” says Ballard. “You can be social, and lots of friends are made here. People have met here that have dated.”

The center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Membership costs $25 per year for individuals or $45 per year for couples.

“That gives them access to all activities. There’s no activities where they’re charged extra money,” says Ballard.

Activities and groups offered at the Spokane Valley Senior Center include billiards, book club, bowling, bridge, bingo, caregiver support groups, chess, cross stitching, dollhouse miniatures, line dancing, knitting and crocheting, quilting, Spanish classes, a Scrabble group, a walking group, and more.

Ballard’s favorite activity is Mexican Train, a game that involves Dominoes. 

“I just like the game. It’s fast-paced,” she says.

The center's offerings expand beyond its regular activities, Ballard says.

“We have really tried to bring in special events to the center,” she says.

This month, the center is hosting a Mother’s Day Tea and Women's Wisdom Book Workshop. It will be a free, members-only event held on Thursday, May 14, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. The event will offer tea and petit fours, which are small French cakes. The wisdom book portion of the event will be hosted by Terri Weeding, founder of the Dear Daughters Wisdom Project.

“Her theory is that women don’t often speak up about their knowledge and what they learn over their lifetimes. This is a way to share that with each other and put down your thoughts,” says Ballard. 

The center typically hosts an event outside of its typical activities about once a month, says Ballard. A new special event that just started is the Savvy Senior seminar series. The seminars address topics important to seniors, such as homeowner’s insurance or fraud and scams.

In the fall, the center holds its annual resource fair, says Ballard. Last year, 44 vendors attended. Vendors included hearing aid and eyeglass companies, retirement facilities, estate planners, in-home care companies, the fire department, the police department, and other resources that can help seniors.

“We’re trying to be open to everything, just a little bit of everything for everybody,” says Ballard. “Our whole purpose is to be here for the seniors so they’re not isolated.”

New activities are brought in often, says Ballard. 

“We have a waiting list for people who want to be activity leaders and bring in activities,” she says.

Everyone who works at the senior center is a volunteer, including Ballard, who retired during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

One such volunteer is Linda Burr, who serves as the vice president of the Spokane Valley Senior Citizens Association board and also as a receptionist for the center.

“I like meeting and greeting the people, seeing their smiles, and getting them involved in different activities,” says Burr.

In addition to games like bingo and cribbage, Burr says she also likes the change she sees in some people when they attend the center.

“They come, and they’re kind of shy and reserved, but then after a while, when they’ve been in different activities, they open up,” says Burr. “It just seems like they’re enjoying life more.”

For O’Reilly, $25 per year to play pool is “the best value in town.” If someone is considering becoming a member, he encourages them to head over and check the center out. 

“You’ll find that there’s a lot of really nice people here,” he says.