Woodbridge Senior Center Celebrates its 40th Anniversary

Members of the Woodbridge Senior Center recently celebrated the center’s 40th anniversary with a party for its members with music, dancing and chicken cordon bleu for lunch.  

A sign on the wall at the senior center showed that in 1983, when the center opened, the Baltimore Orioles were baseball’s World Series Champions, Star Wars: Episode IV – Return of the Jedi debuted and Ronald Reagan was president. A gallon of gas was $1.24; and the Police, Culture Club, Michael Jackson, Lionel Ritchie, David Bowie and UB40 topped the pop music charts.  

“It’s amazing that it’s been 40 years,” said Area Agency on Aging Director Sarah Henry to the full house in attendance at the event. “The mission to have a senior center back in the ’80s was a new concept. Today, we’re here to celebrate this facility… that we have been able to utilize over the last 40 years to serve older adults in our community,” Henry said.  

The members of the senior center love to come to the center to hang out, learn new things and have fun. 

“I love the senior center,” said Julia Spinetti. “We have so many members from all different ages and nationalities. I’ve been coming maybe 15 years, and everybody gets along really great. So, we’re celebrating today!”  

“It’s a place where retired people can come and relax and have fun interacting with people our age and be happy after retirement. I’m retired military, so it’s a good place for me to come and enjoy myself,” said senior center member Earnest Todd.  

Linzy Adkins wanted to join the senior center when he first moved to Woodbridge, but he was too young.  

“When I came to Woodbridge, I was 42 years old and had to wait until I was 55 to join the senior center. I always wanted to go to this place. We are like a family here,” Adkins said. 

For more information about the senior centers in the area, visit pwcva.gov/SeniorCenters.