The Janet Goeske Foundation lobbied Sacramento lawmakers April 29, making the case that its Riverside senior center is a model worth replicating statewide.
Blue Zones Riverside and the county's health community are coming together this Mother's Day to remind us that supporting moms is a year-round practice.
Janet Goeske Foundation Seeks $3 Million State Grant for Center Expansion
The Janet Goeske Foundation lobbied Sacramento lawmakers April 29, making the case that its Riverside senior center is a model worth replicating statewide.
A delegation from the Janet Goeske Center visits State Senator Kelly Seyarto in Sacramento. From left: Diane Kwansman, Sen. Seyarto, Sean Rand and Goeske Center Director Danielle Stevens. (Courtesy of the Janet Goeske Foundation)
The Janet Goeske Foundation sent a delegation to Sacramento to lobby for a $3 million state grant to renovate and expand the Janet Goeske Center, a senior services hub at 5257 Sierra Street that serves Riverside residents 50 and older.
Executive Director Danielle Stevens made the trip April 29 alongside Board Directors Julio Figueroa, Sean Rand, and Diane Kwasman. The group met with state senators, assemblymembers, and legislative staff. Beyond funding the renovation, the foundation is making the case that the Goeske Center's model of care is one worth replicating at senior centers across the Inland Empire, California, and beyond.
The center has grown well past what most people picture when they think of a senior center. It offers crisis prevention among a diverse roster of services that help adults navigate the full complexity of aging in one accessible location. That means Medicare and Social Security assistance, housing and food support, driver's license renewals, and grief services. It also means help crossing the digital divide that cuts many older adults off from benefits and services they are entitled to but cannot access on their own.
On any given day, Riverside's most experienced residents are shooting pool, getting their hair done, sitting down to a hot meal, and talking through financial questions with someone who knows the answers. The social life of the center is inseparable from its mission. Isolation is one of the most serious threats facing older adults, and the Goeske Center exists in part to prevent it. Members come to handle the business of life and leave knowing they are part of something.
"Our goal is to ensure that no senior ages alone," Stevens said. "We act as a connector to vital services, and we're proud that our legislators and community partners are recognizing the impact of this work."
The senior population in the Inland Empire is expected to double within the next decade. At the same time, the range of services that older adults need - and that families and communities are looking to someone to provide - keeps growing. Centers like Goeske, which have built the infrastructure and the relationships to deliver wraparound care under one roof, represent a working model for what senior services can look like at scale. Legislators who met with the delegation expressed interest in continuing the conversation and were invited to tour the center firsthand.
More information: To learn more or support the expansion effort, visit jgf4seniors.org.
Blue Zones Riverside and the county's health community are coming together this Mother's Day to remind us that supporting moms is a year-round practice.
