The Center at Belvedere (The Center)

Over the next three years The Center will pursue four outcomes:
*Propelling healthy aging to the forefront of community priorities

*Leveraging our award-winning center to achieve greater health gains through collaboration, exploration, advocacy, access, outreach, and partnerships

*Providing a place for people from all walks of life to age to the best of their potential

*Fortifying the resources need to achieve this vision.

Through its programming, The Center provides healthy aging opportunities that are physically, intellectually, and financially accessible so that seniors can connect with others for social support, emotional wellness, and fun, challenge themselves to improve physically, intellectually, or artistically, and contribute their many skills and experiences in service to our community.

• Health and Fitness programs encourage whole person wellness through healthy lifestyle choices.
• Volunteer Opportunities strengthen the sense of purpose and engagement with the larger community.
• Lifelong Learning & Travel programs stimulate the mind, to seek understanding, and to learn more about self and others.
• Arts, Performing Arts & Arts and Crafts programs offer instruction, collaboration, and performance opportunities that encourage self-expression.
• Recreation programs offer fun activities, organized and are often led by a volunteer Center participant.
• Services provide basics support, for issues such as bereavement, self-care, or financial and legal consultations.
• Partner Programs provide access to a greater variety of services and programming.

The Center uses the following strategies to increase access and participation in its healthy aging programming:

• Programs are tiered to appeal to a variety of levels of skill or ability. For example, in fitness The Center offers selections from walking the local mall to hiking over mountains. In the performing arts such as band and dance there are options for beginners and advanced groups. In recreation, you can learn the basics of Bridge or play competitively.
• Programs run year-round at different times and on different days of the week to make them accessible to more people.
• Each year hundreds of programs and activities are offered that are free and open to the public
• The Mary P. Reese Scholarship Fund offers scholarships to anyone who expresses a financial need. Around 13% of Center members receive assistance from the Scholarship Fund.

Founded in 1960, The Center is the only place in our community where older adults can find wellness programming in all of the dimensions necessary for successful aging: intellectual, physical, emotional, social, spiritual, environmental, and vocational.

The Center is sustained financially through diverse revenue streams from both philanthropy and earned income. We receive no funding from local, state, or federal governments and significantly depend on support from individuals, foundations, corporations, and civic groups to fund our programming. We solicit this support through a variety of fundraising efforts including major giving circles, direct mail campaigns, and special events. Our earned income is derived from newsletter advertisements and facility rental, as well as nominal membership dues and program fees.

By owning our facility, and maintaining prudent cash reserves, we have maximized the impact of our earned income and philanthropic support. We receive unqualified audits annually and meet all the fiscal standards of the National Institute of Senior Centers as well as the Virginia Network of Nonprofit Organizations. These endeavors account for the current and future financial sustainability of all our programs.

The Center is also sustained by its staffing model. With only 13 full-time and 5 part-time positions making up our professional staff, volunteers supply 65% of the labor it takes to run the Center’s healthy aging programs. Our professional program staff works closely with our volunteers to ensure the overall quality and sustainability of our programs.

Established in Charlottesville in 1960, The Center is the longest continually operating senior center in Virginia. The Center was recognized as the first nationally accredited senior center in the state by the National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC) and is one of just seven senior centers in the country to have attained accreditation four consecutive times.

The Center offers programs and resources, available both onsite and online, that help older adults to connect with others for social support and emotional wellness; challenge themselves to improve physically, intellectually, or artistically; and contribute their skills and experiences in service to our community.

Recognizing the building constructed in 1991no longer had the capacity to serve our community. The Center at Belvedere was constructed and opened in 2020. The new Center provides dedicated fitness rooms, a 400-seat performing arts auditorium, a life-long learning wing, an art room, a game room, a volunteer center, library and so much more. Conveniently located just two miles from our former site, the new Center is a welcoming, warm community hub with more than 47,000 square feet inside and generous outdoor space for healthy aging programs and partnerships. In 2021 the American Institute of Architects (AIA) awarded Charlottesville-based Bushman Dreyfus Architects, the prestigious Design for Aging Review Award of Merit for The Center at Belvedere. This award recognizes advanced design concepts, research, and solutions sensitive to the needs of an aging population.

In announcing the award, AIA representatives hailed The Center as a new prototype and model for similar centers. Calling the robust offering of activities and level of layout and detailed design “exceptional,” the jury noted that “Every aspect of the site, program, and building reflects a strong desire to be comfortable, safe, and life-enriching for its users … This is not a classic senior environment and works hard to break stereotypes.”