Seniors’ Centre receives boost to keep seniors “fit, active, connected”

July 3, 2025 · 0 Comments

The Aurora Seniors’ Centre will take virtual programs to the next level after receiving a grant from Ontario’s Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility last week.

MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy was joined by Mayor Tom Mrakas at the Aurora Seniors’ Centre on June 23 as she presented the Town and the Aurora Seniors’ Association with a grant of $50,000, the result of the Centre’s successful application for Seniors Active Living Centre funding.

The program is one of 100 new recipients of Seniors Active Living Centre funding across Ontario this year designed to “help improve seniors’ quality of life and build community engagement.”

“We are delighted to expand activities and services to more seniors in Aurora,” said, Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility in a statement. “This program will help older adults of all abilities to thrive in their homes and communities.”

The enhanced Virtual Seniors’ Centre will be a “great addition” for local services, said the MPP.

“It will offer seniors from the entire community the opportunity to stay fit, active, health, and socially connected through various activities,” she said.

Added Mayor Mrakas: “This funding supports something that’s incredibly important: making sure all seniors have the opportunity to stay active, connected, and engaged. Digital programming helps break down barriers like limited mobility or lack of transportation and makes it easier for more people to participate. The Virtual Aurora Seniors Centre is a great example of how we can use technology to build a more inclusive, supportive community, and we’re grateful to the Ontario Government for continuing to invest in that vision.”

The Seniors’ Centre Without Walls program was first rolled out by the Aurora Seniors’ Centre in 2019 as a way to help seniors stay in touch through over-the-phone programs, with an emphasis on “brain-building activities.”

It served Centre members well when they were forced to close their John West Way doors due to the global pandemic, and has gone from strength to strength ever since.

By Brock Weir