Lynn Domenech and Jocelyn Holt, of the in-home senior care company Comfort Keepers, were on hand March 11 as the City of Gainesville/Alachua County Senior Recreation Center “topped out.” Topping out refers to completion of the uppermost level of the building and installment of the roof. Comfort Keepers is supporting the project with a $50,000 gift. This is the first major gift to this state-of-the-art facility.
“We know the importance of a facility of this magnitude,” Holt said. “The seniors of our region deserve a place like this. This will be an exceptional facility that everyone in Gainesville and Alachua County will be proud of.”
The Senior Recreation Center will be situated at Northside Park (5710 N.W. 34th Street). This $5.5 million, 17,000-square-foot center will be the only one of its kind in the county and is scheduled to open in the fall. The City of Gainesville contributed $2 million and Alachua County contributed $1.5 million to fund this project, in addition to a $2 million state grant awarded to the project. An additional $1 million must be raised to assist ElderCare of Alachua County in running the facility. It will offer local seniors the latest in fitness training, health education, nutrition services, preventative screenings, service delivery, arts and cultural activities, a computer lab and social and volunteer opportunities. Click here to make a gift to this valuable community asset.
“This gift is a major boost to our plans for the Center,” said Anthony Clarizio, ElderCare of Alachua County executive director – ElderCare is a division of Shands. “Comfort Keepers does so much to help the seniors of our area. This is just another example of how they play a leadership role. Their gift will give us the momentum we need to help raise the rest of the money necessary to run this facility.”
To learn more, please contact Kathleen Luzier-Bogolea at Shands Office of Development at (352) 265-7237 or luziek@shands.ufl.edu.