Nord-Bridge unique among seniors centres

The Jan. 6 edition of The Herald published a letter from Robert Girard proposing that Lethbridge seniors would be better served if both existing senior centres were to merge. I suggest that before arriving at that conclusion, Lethbridge residents need to understand how Nord-Bridge was created and what it represents for its members and the community today.

In the spring of 1978 a handful of north Lethbridge seniors began meeting around kitchen tables to talk about how they might lay the foundation for a seniors’ organization in north Lethbridge. As a member of city council from north Lethbridge at that time, I was invited to one such meeting at the home of Roy Berlando.

Building on the consensus of these kitchen table meetings, Nord-Bridge was incorporated in 1980 with 98 members and began operating out of the Westminster Neighbourhood Hall. Four years later it relocated to the Bill Kergan Centre. In 2001, with the assistance of municipal and provincial grants, Nord-Bridge was able to acquire and renovate the former Chinook Mall building on 13 Avenue North. It received an additional $248,921 in the form of a municipal loan, which it repaid in 2012.

The relocation to the former Chinook Mall site resulted in a pivotal cultural change to Nord Bridge, which distinguishes it from LSCO and from every other seniors centre in Alberta. As a result of the relocation, Nord-Bridge became both a property owner and a landlord who uses commercial rent to offset expenses associated with operating the centre.

Throughout the 38 years of its existence, Nord-Bridge has been guided by three principles which stand behind every decision we make: innovation, fiscal prudence and caring.

But I suggest there are three additional measures of our success: first, the passion of our members, second the respect we have earned in the community, and third, the growth in our membership from 98 in 1980 to 1,400 today.