Sidney Single Seniors 55-plus is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
The club was started by Ivy Buchanan and Diane Satok to help seniors socialize in a safe, enjoyable environment and avoid loneliness and isolation.
“I think they were just chatting and decided to found the group,” Sidney Single Seniors chairperson Colleen Schayes said. “There are a lot of single people in Sidney. This club is very important to many people because we get to make friends almost instantly.”
The group was officially formed on Oct. 22, 2003 with a handful of seniors and now has around 120 members living on the Saanich Peninsula.
“The group was very small at the start,” Schayes said. We’re still growing and still looking for new members.”
Sidney Single Seniors has meetings at the SHOAL Centre in Sidney, and they are usually held on the third Wednesday of each month at 2 p.m.
The meetings include refreshments from the SHOAL kitchen and often feature an interesting speaker. The club’s next meeting and anniversary finger food celebration will be on Oct. 20.
The group often goes out for lunch and coffee or takes walks.
“It’s a bit tricky trying to find a place to have a meal now that we have so many members,” said Isabelle Yoxall, who has been a member since the club began. “The club is a great opportunity to meet people.”
All members are encouraged to suggest ideas for outings such as going to the movies or for a trip on a ferry.
“It’s good when new members bring new ideas,” Yoxall added. “There’s a lot of fun activities to do. We need people to help out by organizing different activities that people might be interested in.”
The annual membership fee is $30.
“The fees pay for coffee, tea and cake at our meetings and our parties or go toward whatever else we need to pay for,” Schayes said.
Seniors can attend one meeting and one activity before deciding to join.
“We’re a great that takes care of each other and supports one another,” Schayes said.
Those interested in learning more about the club or wanting to become a member can come to a meeting or grab a brochure from the SHOAL Centre or at Beacon Community Services Thrift on Fourth in Sidney.
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