LEONARDTOWN, Md. — The Garvey Senior Activity Center celebrated the fifth anniversary of its current Leonardtown facility May 19 with an open house recognizing the center’s growth into one of St. Mary’s County’s primary hubs for senior wellness, recreation and social connection.
Hosted by the St. Mary’s County Department of Aging & Human Services, the event brought together county officials, longtime advocates, staff, volunteers and participants for presentations, demonstrations, refreshments and live music throughout the afternoon.
The celebration marked more than the anniversary of a building. It was a reflection on the years of public advocacy, planning and community support that helped bring the expanded facility to life after the former Garvey center outgrew its original location.
The previous center had become overcrowded as participation steadily increased, with growing demand for fitness classes, recreation programs, meals and social activities for older adults across the county.
Opened in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the new Garvey Senior Activity Center initially launched with limited public recognition due to gathering restrictions at the time. Last Tuesday’s event served as a delayed public celebration of both the facility and the community effort behind it.
Co-located with the Leonardtown Library, the modern facility now welcomes more than 200 participants on some days and offers expanded programming, evening hours, wellness services, art activities, fitness classes, educational programs and outdoor pickleball courts for adults 50 and older.
A Larger Center For A Growing Need
Brandy Tully, deputy director of the St. Mary’s County Department of Aging & Human Services, said staff at the former Garvey Senior Activity Center recognized years ago that the county had outgrown the original facility as participation and demand for senior programming steadily increased.
Tully, who previously worked as a program specialist at the former center, said the need for expanded space and services was already clear before construction of the new Leonardtown facility began.
“I saw the growing need. I saw the programs busting at the seams,” Tully said. “If you build it, they will come, and I feel like that has definitely been the case here.”
Tully said the expanded Garvey Senior Activity Center has allowed the county to offer more programming for older adults, particularly through evening hours and health-focused activities designed to help seniors remain active and independent. She pointed to the popularity of pickleball, mobility and strength programs, arthritis support activities and wellness services as examples of how participants are increasingly prioritizing long-term health and quality of life.
“Our evening hours at the Garvey Senior Activity Center has allowed older adults who are still working or maybe caregiving during the day to be able to take advantage of some programming,” Tully said. “We’re seeing older adults want to take care of their health and their mobility, so they can stay independent in the community.”
Tully also said the role senior activity centers play in reducing social isolation and creating supportive community networks for older adults is expanding. She said the center provides opportunities for participants to build friendships, share meals and connect through common interests.
“People can come to the senior activity center and meet other people who have the same interests that they do,” Tully said. “It increases people’s network, their social network, but also their supportive network to help keep them independent in the community.”
Lori Jennings-Harris, director of the St. Mary’s County Department of Aging & Human Services, said the expanded activity center supports the department’s mission of helping residents remain active with their communities. She said the Garvey Senior Activity Center provides wellness resources, fitness classes, meals and social opportunities, while also helping reduce isolation among adults 50 and older.
“The mission of the department is to help people remain in their home and in the community for as long as possible,” Jennings-Harris said. “Isolation is big. That’s one reason why we exist. A part of people’s well-being has to do with being around other people.”
Jennings-Harris said the center’s co-location with the Leonardtown Library helps shape the atmosphere of the facility by bringing older adults, families, children and youth into a shared community space. She said the setup creates opportunities for collaboration across both the aging and human services sides of the department’s mission.
“There’s an opportunity for the older adults to go next door to the library and take advantage of its amenities,” Jennings-Harris said. “There’s an opportunity for us to collaborate, to work together, to see families, to see children, and to see youth.”
Jennings-Harris encouraged residents who have never visited the center to stop in and see what is available. She said today’s senior activity centers offer far more than a traditional gathering space, with fitness, arts, meals, library access and programs that help older adults stay active, connected and engaged.
“Just come and check it out. We are not the senior activity center of old,” Jennings-Harris said. “We have so much to offer that we quite literally suit the needs and the desires of a lot of people. It can help a person to live longer, live happier and to stay socially connected.”
Planning For Growth And Quality Of Life
Gary Whipple, deputy director of the St. Mary’s County Department of Public Works & Transportation, said the need for a modern senior activity center became clear as existing facilities aged and demand for senior services continued to grow. He said the former Garvey Senior Activity Center operated in a retrofitted older building that was not originally designed for that purpose, and combining the senior center project with the Leonardtown Library helped both projects gain momentum.
“The old Garvey Center was part of the old school that was built in Leonardtown in the 1920s. So, it was a retrofit,” Whipple said. “The idea of combining the senior center with the library made both move forward. That synergy of combining the projects put everything over the top.”
Whipple said facilities like the Garvey Senior Activity Center improve quality of life by giving older adults another place to gather outside of home, work, church or other routine spaces. He described the center as a community setting where residents can socialize, participate in activities and remain engaged.
“It gives people recreational opportunities, a place to meet people, a place to enjoy activities that they like, a place to gather,” Whipple said. “It’s another avenue for people to socialize and communicate.”
Whipple said St. Mary’s County should expect continued growth in demand for senior services as more older adults seek recreation, wellness and social opportunities. He said planning for that growth will remain important as the county looks ahead.
“I think the county can anticipate that growth,” Whipple said. “There’ll be more seniors that will be looking for those types of activities. Having a plan to meet that, I think, is important.”
Whipple also emphasized that social connection and active aging are important for public health because they help older adults stay mentally and physically engaged. He said activity gives people something to look forward to and helps keep both the mind and body in use.
“Activity keeps people young. It gives them something to look forward to,” Whipple said. “The mind and the body need to be used. You can’t just go dormant. I plan on staying active well into my retirement age, and I think it’s just healthy.”
St. Mary’s County Commissioner Mike Hewitt said investing in modern senior activity centers is a quality-of-life issue as the county’s senior population continues to grow. Hewitt said facilities like the Garvey Senior Activity Center help older adults stay connected, engaged and supported, particularly as loneliness becomes a larger concern for seniors who may lose spouses, family members or regular social networks.
“What’s very important to seniors is connectivity and meeting people. Loneliness is something that’s a major issue for seniors,” Hewitt said. “This senior center helps people connect, it keeps them mentally in charge, mentally alert, and mentally engaged with other people.”
Hewitt said the center improves daily life by offering a wide range of activities that meet different interests, from card games and bingo to exercise and other programs. He said the fact that the facility is already heavily used shows the county addressed a real need five years ago, and he pointed to parking and future expansion as signs of continued demand.
“We schedule multiple different events that cater to people with different interests,” Hewitt said. “People come here to play bridge, they come here to play a game called Pitch — which is known to St. Mary’s County — they come here to play bingo, they come here for exercise activities, they come from multiple different types of activities that are significant or important to them, and that’s what we have to focus on. What’s important to the people that makes them come here?”
Hewitt said the future of senior services depends on county leaders continuing to identify needs and remain open to new ideas that are working elsewhere. He said the Garvey Center addressed one clear community need, but continued growth will require advocacy, planning and attention to models that could be adapted in St. Mary’s County.
“It’s about people in positions of leadership that identify the needs of their constituency, and this was one of the needs,” Hewitt said. “Now, is this enough? We’re seeing that it’s growing, it’s not enough. We’re seeing the expansion. So, the goal going forward for anyone who stays involved and wants to be an advocate is to look at new things that are happening around us. I don’t need to have the idea. I just need to see where it worked.”
Hewitt said social connection and active aging are increasingly important because they support both physical and mental health. He said senior centers help older adults stay active, maintain well-being and potentially reduce health care pressures by supporting healthier lifestyles.
“More physical and mental activity, keeps their doctor bills down, keeps our health care costs in check,” Hewitt said. “It’s all about taking care of your physical health. But also, your mental well-being. So, this is what senior centers do.”
Hewitt encouraged residents who may not know about the center or who are unsure how to get involved to contact the St. Mary’s County Department of Aging & Human Services directly. He said residents who feel they need more activities, services or support should reach out, even if they do not use computers or online resources.
“Reach out to the Department of Aging & Human Services,” Hewitt said. “If you feel there’s a deficit in what’s available to you, if you feel there’s not enough to do, just pick up the phone and call our Department of Aging & Human Services.”
Finding A Third Space: A Place To Belong
Fred Calvert, an 86-year-old Leonardtown resident, said the Garvey Senior Activity Center has become one of the most important parts of his daily life. Calvert said he lives alone and relies on the center for social connection, exercise, meals and friendship, describing it as a place that gives structure and meaning to his days.
“I met so many people and friends here, and it really justifies my being,” Calvert said. “I live alone, and I don’t have my own family, so it’s one of the most important, if not the most important thing in my life. This is my second home, if you will.”
Calvert said he comes to the center regularly to exercise, eat lunch and connect with others. He said the facility’s fitness equipment and classes help him stay active both physically and mentally, while the daily routine gives him something to look forward to.
“I look forward to coming here every day. I exercise every day, at least 40 minutes,” Calvert said. “It keeps me going mentally and physically — this place is marvelous.”
Calvert said the center is especially important because it offers something for a wide range of interests. In addition to exercise, the center offers lunches, games, art, bridge, bingo, billiards and other activities. He said the social environment is one of the center’s greatest strengths, with retired residents from many backgrounds building friendships through shared programs.
“It’s so filled with activities to please everybody. It’s so social,” Calvert said. “Socialization is really neat here, really some wonderful talented people here that are retired. Even though we’re elderly, we’ve still got some talent left at us.”
Calvert also praised the county, staff, council members and advocates who helped bring the current facility to life. He said the building is beautifully designed and credited persistence from community advocates with helping turn the center into a reality. He also described his own advocacy around accessibility and safety, including handicap parking concerns and defibrillators for pickleball courts.
“The people who put this together, they did a wonderful job for years. They were persistent to get this on the map,” Calvert said. “Persistence, I found out, is the only way to get things done. It’s a great, great place, beautifully designed.”
Calvert encouraged older adults throughout St. Mary’s County to visit one of the county’s senior activity centers and take advantage of the programs available. He said the Garvey Center has become a “second home” for him and a place where seniors can stay active, connected and involved.
“Come and take advantage of the senior center. No matter where you are in the county, there’s three of them,” Calvert said. “The lunches are spectacular. Up and down the hall, there’s activities behind every door. This place is just a miracle.”
Jenny Christina Nelson-Sisk, a Leonardtown resident and art instructor at the Garvey Senior Activity Center, said the expanded facility has given older adults more room, more choices and more opportunities to stay active than the former center could provide. She said the old location had to fit meals, entertainment, activities and gathering space into a much smaller footprint, while the current center offers more room and more programming.
“When they were just in the one room that wasn’t any bigger than this room we’re in, that was the entire facility, and it had to try to accommodate all the different things,” Nelson-Sisk said. “Putting the center in here was ideal. This is a good central location for a lot of the people who come here, and then having the library right next door is really handy.”
Nelson-Sisk said the center’s variety is one of its strengths, with programs ranging from art classes and dramatic readings to Dungeons & Dragons, mahjong, movie nights, pickleball, dance, fitness and pingpong. She said the range of activities helps draw different groups of people into the building and gives participants ways to find something that fits their interests.
“They keep adding and adding to the classes. They’re trying to get everybody’s interest,” Nelson-Sisk said. “There’s a lot of physical activities. They have a lot of good programs here, and they keep trying to figure out variety, especially for the evening.”
As an art instructor, Nelson-Sisk said she focuses on meeting students where they are rather than expecting everyone to produce the same work. She said her classes include drawing, painting, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, seasonal projects and technique-based instruction, with an emphasis on helping participants build confidence and enjoy the creative process.
“I’m getting people who said, ‘Well, I can’t draw. I’ve never drawn,’ so they start where they can, and I take them from where they are,” Nelson-Sisk said. “I don’t expect everybody to have the same painting, because it wouldn’t be fair. I teach them, break it down and say, ‘Okay, let’s have fun with this.’ We all have our different strengths, and we all have our own styles.”
Nelson-Sisk said the center helps address isolation by giving older adults a reason to get out, learn, exercise, socialize and remain connected. She said the Garvey Center is lively, with participants often encouraging others to join activities, eat lunch together or take part in classes rather than sitting alone.
“You get the people who are going to include you in their group, whether you want to or not. They’ll come over and say, ‘Join us, don’t sit by yourself,’” Nelson-Sisk said. “Here there’s something for everybody.”
Nelson-Sisk encouraged residents to visit a senior activity center before deciding it is not for them. She said the programs help older adults stay engaged and avoid isolation.
“Get here, go to a place where you can join the singing group or join the acting group, work on the equipment and exercise, do art, get involved,” Nelson-Sisk said. “As we get older, we lose friends, we tend to isolate without realizing it, we need to get out and get that social activity. It helps you stay alive and makes life worth living.”
Fast Facts About Garvey Senior Activity Center
Website: www.stmaryscountymd.gov/aging/garvey/ (Registration and Monthly Calendar online)
Location: 23630 Hayden Farm Lane, Leonardtown, MD 20650
Phone: 301-475-4200, ext. 1080
Hours:
Monday through Thursday: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Who It Serves: Adults 50 and older
Amenities: Fitness equipment, fitness studios, art studio, activity rooms, daily lunch dining area, wellness and massage services, lounge area, table games, billiards and outdoor pickleball courts.
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