Art Endowment Fund

“Please help me make art available to active adults for years to come!”

“As the Art Program Coordinator, I’ve met so many inspiring people who are trying and learning new things at every age. They’ve helped me plan what I’m going to do in the next phase of my life.

I am retiring after 11 wonderful years at the Senior Center. There’s a celebration planned from 6 to 8 p.m. April 16 in the Senior Center auditorium. Please join us and please help me ensure that all active adults can learn and grow through art for years to come.

In lieu of gifts, I am requesting that my friends, family members and anyone who cares about seniors make a donation to the Tallahassee Senior Center and Foundation Art Endowment Fund.”

“If I’ve learned one thing while working at the Tallahassee Senior Center, it’s that age does not define you.”

“I am so thankful for Tom and Sandy DeLopez, longtime art participants and Senior Center supporters, for starting this effort with a significant gift toward the endowment. Their generosity, along with your support, will underwrite art classes and programs that bring joy to active adults throughout Leon County.

This endowment comes at a perfect time as plans continue for an additional Senior Center along Welanuee Boulevard. Together, we can increase art offerings to serve our community’s growing senior population.

Art has enriched my life since I was a child, helping my uncle, Richard Puckett, director of LeMoyne Art Foundation, hang exhibits and ornaments for LeMoyne’s holiday show. I have also witnessed art’s power to transform lives.

I’m thinking particularly about one woman at the Senior Center who started painting in her 70s after her husband died. She was experiencing depression. Painting gave her purpose. That was 20 years ago, and she’s still painting! People who take an art class or participate in one of our many other programs quickly see that the Senior Center is a place for friendship and fun!

Your generous support makes these experiences possible. We are so thankful for the City of Tallahassee, which funds the Senior Center facilities and most of the staff, and Leon County, which funds Leon County Senior Outreach. But without your support, the programs, classes and services seniors rely on wouldn’t exist.

Working at the Senior Center changed my perception of aging. Although I am retiring, I will stay involved in the community through the Senior Center. You can find me there taking Tai Chi twice a week, and I’ll certainly visit the art instructors and students.”