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| Senior Center |
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| Senior Center | Glenview Senior Club | Senior Club History | 50th Anniversary Celebration
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Senior Club History
Park Center
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2400 Chestnut Ave Glenview, IL 60026 (847) 724-4793 |
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Mon.-Fri. 9 am-4 pm |
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50 Years of Making a Difference
The Glenview Senior Club, now 1500 members strong, is having a year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2007-2008. As part of this celebration, we are taking a look back at our history to relive our humble beginnings, laugh at our growing pains and celebrate who we are, how we got here and where we are going.
Making a Difference for Older Adults – 1958-2008
The decade of the 1950s was a period of rapid growth for the Glenview area and the Glenview Park District responded to this growth by expanding recreational opportunities for its residents. One area that had received little attention up to this point was programming for older adults. With life expectancies increasing and work-saving devices flourishing, the availability of leisure time was a relatively new development for this group. To address this situation, then-Park District Superintendent Richard Johns tasked new Recreation Supervisor Joyce Rieger (Pottinger) with organizing activities for seniors. Thus in October of 1958, the Glenview Senior Club was formed.
The Glenview Senior Club started with 13 members who met periodically at the Roosevelt Community Building to play cards, hold potlucks, organize bazaars and take trips to local shopping areas. Membership then, as now, consisted of more women than men, many of whom were homemakers with grown families or farm wives from this previously rural community. Transportation to Club activities was provided by members of the Glenview Women’s Club.
As word about the Senior Club spread, membership grew and with it came the challenge of finding space to hold senior activities. Roosevelt Community Building was also the site of activities for many other age groups and was not available in the summer when the swimming pool was open. By the time Club membership had grown to 25 in 1961, the group moved to a temporary fieldhouse at Riverside Park. By 1963 with Club membership topping 60, the group returned to Roosevelt Community Building, with summer activities held at the Glenview Park Golf Clubhouse. At the start of the 1970s, the park district was leasing space at the Glenview Community Church for some senior activities.
By 1973, the Senior Club had grown to over 200 hundred members and no existing space was large enough to house the membership. With the population of Glenview topping 30,000, 4,300 of whom were seniors, the potential for growth in club membership was high. But not having their own space was stifling growth. “At the beginning, there were not many in that age group living in Glenview and they could fit in any available space we had,” recalled Superintendent Johns. This no longer being the case, the search was on to find a dedicated, permanent location where seniors could meet without having to store their supplies and equipment at the end of every program as they did when using shared space.
Several alternatives were considered during the mid-1970s. A feasibility study was done on turning an old bus garage at the corner of Glenview Road and Washington Street into a senior center. Unfortunately the project was deemed too costly. An alternative proposal called for the then-Village Hall Building at 1930 Prairie Street (now the Park District Administration Building) to be expanded and turned into a community center after the Village moved to new offices on Waukegan Road (planned for 1978). This plan seemed the most promising until School District 34 announced that it would be closing the 35,000 square foot Rugen School in 1978. In a win-win situation for the taxpayers of Glenview, the park district reached an agreement with the school district and Rugen Community Center opened in November 1978 with an entire wing reserved for senior activities.
Permanent Home Spurs Growth
While the park district was exploring various options for a permanent site for senior activities, club members were taking an active role in the process. In 1976, with club membership topping 250, members formed a committee to visit area senior centers and developed a report to educate the park board on their needs. When the senior wing at Rugen was opened, club members were delighted to find that many of the items on their “wish list” were included. There was dedicated space for crafts, for men’s activities, for classes and for small group meetings as well as a large “Clubroom” ideal for card playing and large group activities. The nearby kitchen opened the door for many food-centered activities including lunches, club parties and fundraising activities. The Senior Club was now part of a Senior Center where health education and social service programs could be offered to the general public. By 1983, when the club celebrated its 25 th anniversary, membership had doubled to over 500 people in just 7 years.
Continuing growth in the community and expanded opportunities at the Senior Center led to corresponding growth for the Senior Club with membership topping 1,000 by the mid 90s. The wide array of activities both for seniors and other age groups had Rugen Community Center bursting at the seams. When the park board decided to build a new community center, the Glenview Senior Club took an active role in its planning and provided over $180,000 for construction costs and artwork. With the opening of Park Center in January of 2001, the Senior Center had nearly twice the space it had at Rugen and Club membership exceeded 1500.
Under the supervision of Senior Center Director Joyce Pottinger from the beginning, the Glenview Senior Club has thrived. One of the first senior centers on North Shore, it has made a difference in thousands of lives since those first 13 people met in 1958.
Making a Difference Through Leadership
Glenview Senior Center vs. Glenview Senior Club: What’s the Difference?
Many people use the above terms interchangeably when referring to the activities for adults 55 and older offered under the oversight of the Glenview Park District. They are actually two separate entities.
The Glenview Senior Center is located in the east wing of Park Center. It is overseen by Senior Center Director Joyce Pottinger, a park district employee who has been in charge of park district senior activities since the Senior Club began in 1958. While the Senior Club has been in existence since that time, there was not an actual Senior Center until 1978 when the park district opened Rugen Community Center and designated the south wing of that building as the Glenview Senior Center. The Senior Center moved to Park Center in 2001. The Senior Center is the site of many of the Glenview Senior Club’s activities well as where a number of health and social service programs open to members and non-members are held. The Senior Center is open Monday-Friday from 8 am to 4 pm and attracts an average of 200 visitors per day for Club and non-Club activities.
The Glenview Senior Club is a self-directed organization of over 1500 members who pay an annual membership fee entitling them to transportation to and from the Senior Center on designated days, free coffee, refreshments at the Club’s monthly Business and Birthdays meetings and the right to participate in any of the Club’s over 100 sponsored activities for free or at a reduced charge. Membership is open to anyone 55 and over with nonresidents paying a slightly higher fee than residents. The club elects its own officers who, together with members of an Advisory Board made up of program chairpeople, meet monthly to make decisions regarding the club’s operation and finances.
Unlike many senior organizations sponsored by other park districts where programs are originated by park district staff, members of the Glenview Senior Club plan their own activities and control their own finances. This structure has existed since club members established by-laws and elected their first officers in 1961. Any new program must have a member willing to chair that program. Program ideas are publicized to membership and if interest is shown, park district staff assists in getting the program up and running through locating instructors, reserving space, handling paperwork, etc.
Senior Club Programs: From Crafts to Computers 
Because activities sponsored by the Glenview Senior Club are initiated by the members, the Club has offered a tremendous assortment of programs over the past 50 years. Most programs in the early years were more social in nature like card playing, pot lucks and trips. But as membership grew, so did the variety of programs.
In the 1970s, club activities included bridge, ceramics, cancer bandage making, luncheons, bowling, tax assistance, Sewing for Others, the men’s card club, blood pressure screening, driver training, book club, and exercise classes. The Glenview Senior Chorus was formed in 1972 and is still going strong. Club members also compiled the first Senior Benefit Book offering discounts to seniors for local businesses and services in 1976. This valuable resource for seniors and their families is still available today.
The 1980s saw more changes to program offerings as some programs were phased out while new and different programs were added. The Good Times Band, a five-piece combo that played at numerous Senior Club functions throughout the decade was formed in 1981. That year also saw the beginning of the Men’s and Women’s Investment Clubs whose members pooled funds, then researched and bought stocks. In 1985, Great Decisions, a program where participants studied and discussed national and global issues was introduced. Intergenerational programs such as Preschool Pumpkin Patch and Preschool Plant-a-Tree offered Club members the opportunity to share holiday traditions with preschool children. The Senior Center also became more of a drop-in center where social services like driver education, counselors, blood pressure testing and tax assistance could be offered to older adults who were not members of the Senior Club.
Two major initiatives in the 1990s were the increased efforts to attract more men to Club membership and the introduction of programs to help seniors feel more at ease with computers. Individuals and Issues is a men’s speaker program that is still held two Wednesday mornings each month presenting speakers about politics, sports and other topics of interest to men. The goal of this program was to lure men to the center in hopes of getting them involved in other programs. Computer Partners was an intergenerational program in which middle school students taught seniors the basics of operating a computer.
While some programs like the Rugen Players theatrical troupe have faded away through the years, others like Craft and Charity Work continue to thrive. As long as there is someone willing to step up and take the initiative, Senior Club programs continue to grow and flourish.
On the Senior Club’s 20th Anniversary in 1978, Park District Superintendent Richard Johns commented, “I think the thing that has made this Club what it is, the overriding strength if you will, is that you have a remarkable group of people who are relying on their own leadership.” An accurate statement at that time, it still holds true 30 years later.
Making a Difference Through Giving
If there is one characteristic shared by members of the Glenview Senior Club throughout its fifty years, it’s this: these older adults are givers, not takers. Some of the earliest programs in the 1960s included making bandages for cancer patients and gifts to be distributed to veterans’ homes. Throughout the decades, club members have combined their creativity and love of sewing and needlework with a spirit of caring and generosity as they have produced lap robes for nursing homes, kimonos and booties for infants at Cook County Hospital and teddy bears for Cook County Sheriff’s deputies to give to abused children.
The generosity of Senior Club members is also evident in other undertakings. Club members have shared their wisdom and experiences with school children as they visited classrooms to answer questions about the “old days” and participated in pen pal programs. Since the 1980s they have served as volunteer Historical Hosts at the Glenview Historical Society enabling its museum to be open to the public on Sunday afternoons. During the late 1990s, the Club maintained a penny jar at the information desk where donations were collected to support three Native American children on a reservation. More recently they have teamed up with local Girl and Boy Scout troops to “Pack for Iraq”, collecting items for packages to be sent to our troops in Iraq and raising money to pay for the cost of shipping.
The spirit of generosity that permeates the Glenview Senior Club is perhaps best summed up by early Club President Bertha Blomme who stated in 1968, “We give charity, we don’t take it.” The thousands of hours Club members have spent fundraising have benefited the Club and the community as well as providing opportunities to use their time and their talents.
Paying Our Way
While the Glenview Senior Club did accept the donation of its first bus from the Glenview Days Association in 1968, that was one of the rare occasions that Club members were not doing their part to pay for club needs. The Club has contributed to the purchase of all five replacement buses since that time. A program in the 1960s, “Do Your Own Thing” was the predecessor of the Craft Rooms at Rugen Community Center and Park Center where Club members have turned out thousands of items to be sold at the Senior Club’s annual Holiday Bazaar which was first held in 1971. Other fundraising activities have been added through the years: food and beverage sales at the Glenview Art Fair during the 1970s, a Pancake Carnival and Garage Sales during the 1980s, Craft Sales at the Grove Folk Fest and an Antique Sale at the Senior Center during the 1990s as well as flea markets, bake sales, membership directory ads, a gift cart and the 901 Shop, a used clothing boutique. Additional funds have come from memorial donations and grants from foundations and government agencies.
What happens to all the money that’s raised? Since 1992, the Senior Club has paid an annual fee to the park district to help cover costs of operating the Senior Center. Money that doesn’t pay for club operating expenses is invested in certificates of deposit where it earns interest until expenditures are authorized by the club officers and advisory board. Other items the Senior Club has paid for over the years (in addition to helping fund the buses): air conditioning of the senior wing at Rugen Center and a chair lift so those who had difficulty with stairs could still participate in activities in the lower level Clubroom, a piano, tables and chairs, sewing machines, pool tables and the gift cart used to sell Craft Room items. In 2002, when the Senior Center had computers available for member use but no connection to the internet, the Senior Club provided the funds to put the computers online.
The largest donation by far, however, was made in the mid-1990s when the park board was struggling to keep the cost of constructing Park Center within its budget. When the building as first planned proved too expensive, staff and board began identifying building features that could be eliminated to reduce the costs. One such item was a proposed stage in the large meeting room/banquet facility to be located in the senior wing. Word of this proposal spread quickly among Senior Club members. By the next park board meeting, Senior Club representatives appeared to inform the park board that the Club would pledge the $160,000 needed to retain the stage in the building. The Club also made a $20,000 donation to help pay for the bronze “Circle of Peace” sculpture that stands next to Park Center’s main entrance.
But perhaps the greatest beneficiary of the Senior Club’s generosity is the community. For evidence of that, one need only look at the Club’s latest fundraising effort. As the Club celebrates its 50th Anniversary, part of the proceeds from some of the programs and special events throughout the year, have been donated to the Glenview Park District Leisureship Fund, which provides scholarships for park district programs to children in financial need. Such a continuation of the Senior Club’s tradition of giving is guaranteed to make a difference in our community for many years to come.
Making a Difference in the Future
As the Glenview Senior Club looks toward its next 50 years, it has a fine foundation upon which to build. While growing and adapting to change over the years, the Club has received numerous state and national recognitions and has also taken time to recognize the efforts of its members.
In 1988 and 1999, the Glenview Senior Club was presented with the Governor’s Home Town Award by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs. This award is presented for community projects planned and coordinated by seniors. The Club’s 1999 entry was themed, “Volunteers Make the Difference.”
Senior Club volunteers played a huge role in achieving national recognition for the Glenview Senior Center when it became one of only 85 out of 14,000 senior centers in the United States to win accreditation from the National Institute of Senior Centers. Winning this prestigious honor required the work of nine committees who served on a task force that evaluated the Club, its 
programs, operations and facility to make sure they were aligned with the rigorous guidelines for accreditation. After two years of preparation, the Senior Center underwent a three-day on-site inspection and received its accreditation in 2003.
During this 2007-2008 50th Anniversary year, the Glenview Senior Club and Senior Center Director Joyce Pottinger have been honored by the Village of Glenview and the Illinois Association of Park Districts for service to the community.
But as far back as 1973, members of the Glenview Senior Club have also recognized the importance of acknowledging outstanding efforts of their own with the establishment of an annual “Super Senior” award. This award, voted on by Club membership, is presented each year to the person or people club members believe have made the greatest contribution to the Club. Senior Club Presidents also select President’s Award recipients, with both awards being presented each May.
Meeting the Challenge of Change
As commendable as these organizational and individual recognitions are, “Past performance is no guarantee of future success.” Many changes have taken place since those first 13 members met in October 1958 and the Glenview Senior Club is now
being challenged to adapt to those changes to continue as a thriving organization in the future. Glenview was more of a rural community back then, and few seniors drove or had a college education. The Senior Club and the Senior Center served as an important resource for recreational opportunities, health education and social services. Glenview today is a far more affluent and urban community. Seniors today have more education, have more money to spend, retire earlier and want to stay in touch with the latest developments in technology. There are more community resources for seniors and more full service retirement facilities offering on-site recreational opportunities.
But the Glenview Senior Club has a number of circumstances working in its favor. Its location at Park Center means members can make use of the swimming pool, fitness center, walking track and Evanston Northwestern Healthcare providers, an advantage not available at many other senior facilities. An annual Senior Activity Faire each May shows off the many benefits of the Senior Center and offers potential members the opportunity to try a free Club membership to find out if they are interested in joining. Membership surveys are periodically conducted to determine member interests. Even the self-directed structure of the Club works in its favor as younger members originate programs that are likely to appeal to younger potential members.