AMHERST, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Amherst Center for Senior Services is celebrating National Senior Center Month by highlighting the activities, friendships and essential services it provides to nearly 15,000 members.
Director Melissa Abel said its mission is to help older adults remain active, healthy and independent while reducing isolation, depression and chronic illness.
Members can participate in fitness and Tai Chi classes, clubs, games, support groups and educational programs. The center also provides congregate dining, frozen meals, transportation and connections to other community resources.
For longtime friends Zetterline Edwards and Carol Mayo, the center has become part of their routine.
“We come here every day. We have Zumba. We have all the different crafts and all the different things we do,” Edwards said.
Mayo said the opportunity to socialize is one of the most important benefits.
“You never know who you're going to bump into,” Mayo said. “It could be somebody from 20 years ago or five years ago, or maybe they lived down the street, and you never met your neighbor.”
The center’s membership has grown rapidly, with nearly 4,360 new members joining over the past five years. Abel said many older adults sought opportunities to reconnect following the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
WATCH: Amherst Senior Center celebrates National Senior Center Month
The center offers seven support groups, which had 564 participants since June 2026. Those groups include programs for people experiencing grief and the loss of a loved one.
Hank Olejniczak began visiting the center nearly three years ago after losing his wife. Friends encouraged him to participate in its loss and grief, widows and widowers and men’s groups.
“It’s a substitution for what you had with your spouse or some other loved one,” Olejniczak said. “We’ve established very, very firm friendships through our relationship here.”
Over the past five years, the Center has served more than 143,000 meals. It also offers an average of 3,650 activities annually and has 59 member-led clubs.
Its reach is expanding beyond the building through the revived Senior Center on the Move program. Programs are being offered in other town facilities, senior housing communities and online to reach older adults where they live.
The center also launched the Amherst Senior Support Network in 2026. The initiative helps older adults navigate healthcare, housing, transportation, legal matters, financial resources and assistance with heating and cooling costs.
Membership begins at age 50, allowing the center to support older adults as well as people caring for aging family members.
For 83-year-old member Cynthia Darone, staying involved is also about maintaining a positive outlook while navigating the challenges of aging.
“If you think of yourself as young and exciting and excited,” Darone said, “I think that’s what gets me through.”
