Everett senior center too important to leave closed
Published 1:30 am Monday, June 8, 2020
It should come as no surprise that I would write to you regarding the closure of the Carl Gipson Senior Center. I understand that a closure during this pandemic is reasonable and prudent given that the population the Center serves is at greater risk than others. The reason for this contact is the proposed closure of the Senior Center for 2021. If the closure goes through 2021 it is doubtful that the facility will ever reopen as a senior center again.
My father was a “millennial” of his time. In his mid-40s he saw a need to support a program that brought needed services to a generation of people that preceded him. He had vision and compassion for a segment of the population that we are now in danger of tossing aside. That was about 45 years ago. Now I find myself fighting to save the very same program that he helped establish.
The one thing that COVID-19 has demonstrated is the devastating effects of isolation on all populations including our more mature adults. ‘The AARP Foundation’s Connect2Affect has called social isolation a “growing health epidemic” among older adults. It equates the health risks of prolonged isolation with smoking 15 cigarettes daily. This epidemic was declared before being forced into social isolation due to the pandemic.
A permanent closure of the Carl Gipson Senior Center would deprive seniors of the opportunities they need to socially connect with others, to learn and to participate in a variety of activities. A permanent closure of this nature would condemn a part of this city’s population and the region to possibly devastating health risks. I cannot, in good conscience, sit back and allow that to happen without a fight.
Who is representing our seniors in this fight? Certainly not the mayor who is recommending this action. While there are alternative programs for the majority of city residents affected by program cuts there are no alternative options for our seniors. If the reopening of the Carl Gipson Senior Center becomes a priority for the city they will find a solution.
A long-term closure of this facility would never have taken place if Carl Gipson were alive today. I ask that the City Council restore this program in the 2021 budget, at some level, and give our seniors an opportunity to live a more fulfilled life.
Carlton Gipson
Brier
