By Kathy L. Collins
Seniors in the Gibsonton, Riverview and SouthShore communities have an exciting 2013 to look forward to as the Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation Department expands the Gardenville Community Center. First up is a new monthly program called “Senior BINGO Brunch.” The first one will be held on Monday, January 14 beginning at 10 a.m.
The first “Senior BINGO and Brunch” is sponsored by C1 Bank. Each month from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., seniors will get brunch and play up to four games of bingo all for free. The program will be sponsored by a local business or organization who will provide the brunch and a few BINGO prizes. Sponsors will receive time to talk about their business/organization and can even be a part of the event by calling a few games of BINGO.
This first event is a kick-off as the hardworking Parks and Recreation Team at Gardenville Community Park and Center work to expand senior programs and the Gardenville Community Center itself. Dave Ramirez, Hillsborough County Recreation Program Supervisor said, “This event is a kick off. We are really proud of the quality senior programs that we provide. We want to find out what really interests the seniors and offer those programs.” Ramirez added, “We are even looking into providing a monthly social field trip if there is interest for this.”
According to Ramirez, Gardenville Community Center is undergoing expansion, which include renovating the old school house that is on the park property and turning it into the Senior Center. “We will also be building a gymnasium on site,” said Ramirez. “We have never had a dedicated Senior Center at Gardenville. We want to bring the seniors in and make this a complete community center,” added Ramirez.
Tentative dates and themes for the “Senior Bingo and Brunch” include Monday, February 11 (Valentine’s Day); Monday, March 11 (St. Patrick’s Day); Monday, April 8 (Spring Fling); and Monday, May 20 (Memorial Day). There will be none over the summer, but they will pick back up on Monday, September 9 with a Patriot’s Day theme and continue through December.
Sponsorships for most of the events are still available, but will be given on a first-come first-serve basis. For more information please contact Ramirez at 672-1120 or ramirezd@hillboroughcounty.org. Gardenville Park is located at 6219 Symmes Rd. in Gibsonton.
