The City of Yakima’s Harman Center at Gailleon Park will mark its 13th anniversary of serving the community’s seniors with a special event on Friday, May 5th.
A celebration will take place at the Harman Center, located at 101 N. 65th Avenue, on May 5th from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. A variety of organizations will be on hand to showcase programs and activities they offer that are specifically geared to seniors. Refreshments, including anniversary cake, will be served during the event.
Opened in May 2004, the 16,000 square foot Harman Center at Gailleon Park was made possible by a generous grant from the John and Wauna Harman Foundation. The Harman’s came from humble beginnings and quietly amassed a sizable estate that included orchards, KFC franchises, and other business enterprises in the Yakima area. After having visited the City of Yakima’s aging senior center, the foundation’s president made an offer the City couldn’t refuse – the foundation would pay for a brand new senior center and gift it to the City.
In total, the Harman Foundation invested more than $3.8 million in building and completely furnishing the facility that was named the Harman Center at Gailleon Park. When the work was finished, the foundation deeded the building to the City of Yakima.
“The Yakima community is truly blessed to have such a wonderful facility in the Harman Center,” said Yakima Parks & Recreation Manager Ken Wilkinson. “The Harman Center is a second home to a lot of seniors in Yakima. The building itself is beautiful, but it’s the programs and activities that go on inside it that make the Harman Center such a special place,” said Wilkinson. “The Harman Center has been an important part of the lives of so many people over the last 13 years and it will continue to be for many years to come.”
A wide variety of programs, activities, and services are offered for Yakima’s seniors at the Harman Center at Gailleon Park. Health and wellness activities provided at the center include blood sugar testing and blood pressure screening, Forever Fitness classes, ping pong, and Zumba Gold classes. Ballroom dance lessons, tap dancing classes, and belly dancing instruction are also offered at the center. Jewelry making, china painting, Japanese language classes, scrapbooking and stamping, wood carving, and regular bridge games are also part of the full schedule of activities going on at the Harman Center at Gailleon Park.
For more information about the Harman Center at Gailleon Park’s 13th anniversary celebration or to find out more about activities, programs, and services offered at the center, call 575-6166 or click on the following link – yakimaparks.com/.