Community hub reduces social isolation

The North Shore Community Centre is a vibrant, fun social hub for all the community.

The North Shore Community Centre is on the site of Cottonwood Manor, a retirement condo, but is a vibrant, fun social hub for all the community.

One of the biggest problems communities face is social isolation. It can particularly affect retirees, stay-at-home-parents, those who work from home and people who are unemployed because they don’t have daily opportunities to socialize or just have a conversation.

That’s why when retirement condo Cottonwood Manor was built in the mid-’90s, having a community centre on the same site was mandated by the City of Kamloops. These days, the North Shore Community Centre is a vibrant, thriving social hub that’s mainly used by Cottonwood Manor residents, but also by local families. It also has meeting rooms that are widely used by businesses and special interest groups in the area, and even karate classes for kids. There are special annual events, too, such as the upcoming home-based business evening on October 23 and the Craft Fair and Bake Sale on November 3.

Manager Doug Dickson says the adult learning classes that are put on by the Kamloops Adult Learners Society, are particularly popular. “There are upwards of two dozen classes every session,” he says. “There are some one-off classes and other ongoing courses, on topics from the natural history of the Kamloops area to the intricacies of the legal system.” Everything is taught by subject experts including academics and instructors from universities. “It’s really important for everyone to feel like part of a community,” says Dickson. “Our Cottonwood Manor residents are healthy, active retirees from the 60s and up. They’re still interested in everything, and really the community centre and the facilities at Cottonwood Manor allow them to make the most of their retirement.”

North Shore Community Centre is a charitable non-profit organization that is open to the whole community on the site of Cottonwood Manor, a condo for independent retirees from their 60s up. For more information on North Shore Community Centre, visit nsccs.ca, email [email protected] or call the office at 250-376-4777. To learn about the residence, visit Cottonwoodmanor.ca,  email [email protected] or phone 250-376-4777.