The Bemidji Senior Center is located at 216 3rd St NW, Bemidji. Our hours of operation are 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, Monday -Friday. You may reach us by calling 218-751-8836. We have a great time getting together with friends at the Senior Center and enjoy a wide variety of activities. Click on the Activities link to find out more information.
Local artist, Mary Therese, invites Bemidji Senior Center to be a part of her project “Visions, Hopes and Dreams” to create and share art with people. “I am so grateful to the Minnesota State Arts Board for a grant that will serve in making and keeping a connection to my community during the pandemic.”
The local artist will guide participants in meditation, visualization, and the creation of a drawing with the theme of “Visions, Hopes and Dreams!” The artist will distribute packages containing colored pencils and paper triangles and ask the participants to use colors and words of expression within their design. She will then collage all the drawings together on a large sign board which will travel back to be shared with the participants and the larger community. Working from the inspiration of the collage and the combined vision, she will design and paint a mural to be placed on the exterior wall of Harmony Food Coop in downtown Bemidji. Her hope is that the simple act of sharing with the greater community, the “Visions, Hopes, and Dreams” of people from many diverse backgrounds will help to create a world where everyone feels included and appreciated.
The free art class will be held at the Bemidji Senior Center on Friday, April 23rd at 12:00pm. Materials are provided. Space is limited, so participants must pre-register by calling 751-8836.
ARE YOU 55+ ?
THIS COURSE WILL SAVE YOU 10% ON YOUR AUTO INSURANCE FOR 3 YEARS.
THERE ARE NO WRITTEN OR BEHIND THE WHEEL TESTS!
8 HOUR CLASS FOR THE FIRST TIME STUDENTS
4 HOUR REFRESHER FOR THE REPEAT STUDENT
TO REGISTER FOR THESE OR OTHER CLASSES IN YOUR
AREA CALL 1-888-234-1294 OR VISIT http://www.mnsafetycenter.org
UPCOMING CLASSES OFFERED AT BEMIDJI SENIOR CENTER, 216 3RD ST NW, BEMIDJI:
Apr 10 (4 Hr Refresher) 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Apr 21 (4 Hr Refresher) 2:30 PM to 6:30 PM
May 8 (4 Hr Refresher) 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
May 15 (4 Hr Refresher) 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Please help the Bemidji Senior Center by donating Our Family brand labels with the bar code attached. Look for this brand at Lueken’s Village Foods, Marketplace Foods and Teal’s Market. 500 labels/barcodes equals $25.00 for our Center. Every little bit helps!
You may drop labels off at the hostess desk of the Bemidji Senior Center Monday – Friday from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. The Bemidji Senior Center is located at 216 3rd St NW, Bemidji.
The Bemidji Senior Center is offering Fall Prevention: Moving Beyond “Get Rid of the Throw Rug”. This free educational series will take a proactive approach on actions you can take to help prevent falls. This four-part series is designed to inform, educate, and empower. Sessions will be held on the following Tuesdays: April 13th, April 27th, May 11th, and May 25th from 12:00pm-1:00pm at the Bemidji Senior Center located at 216 3rd St NW, Bemidji.
The series is designed for participants to attend all four classes. You must sign up for the class ahead of time as space is limited to 10 participants for social distancing. Please call 751-8836 to register.
Do you remember the LaFontisee sisters (Kate, Ella, and Lucy) and their millinery shop at 307 Beltrami Avenue in the 1950s?
These women purchased Mrs. Conger’s Parlor in 1912 and had a long career in the business, but there were also other interesting and independent women who made up the dressmaking and millinery industry here in Bemidji. These two occupations gave women social stature and a way to support themselves long before the days of Rosie the Riveter.
Join us for conversation on Tuesday, March 23rd at 12:30pm in the Bemidji Senior Center dining room.
*Space is limited, so please call ahead to sign up at 751-8836.*
Tax preparation assistance for people over 60 or for anyone with a moderate income will begin on February 12. Due to the pandemic, the process will be substantially different this year.
All visits will be by appointment only. Please call the Bemidji Senior Center starting on Thursday, February 11 from 10am to 2pm to schedule an appointment (751-8836). After that you may schedule an appointment on any Monday, Thursday or Friday during the tax season. It will require two visits. On the first visit, the client’s documents will be scanned into the system. One week later the client will return to review the completed return and have it efiled.
Clients need to bring photo ID, social security cards for all individuals on the return including dependents, copies of all forms of income including tax exempt income, information on health insurance coverage and last year’s tax return. If applying for a renter’s rebate, the certificate of rent paid (CRP) is also needed.
This free service is provided by the Bemidji Senior Center, AARP, IRS, and MN Dept of Revenue.
The VITA/TCE tax assistance program located at the Bemidji Senior Center is
planning on operating again this year. How it will happen is still in the planning stages
but some general guidelines have been put into place. The plan is to limit face to face
contact between the volunteer and the client so as to reduce the exposure for everyone
involved. It will involve two visits to the Center by the taxpayer.
Assistance will be available by appointment only. The taxpayer will bring their
paper work in and meet with a volunteer who will scan the documents into the computer. The clients will leave with an appointment to return a week later. In the meantime, another volunteer will call the client to clarify the return and another volunteer will review it. When the clients return, they will meet with a volunteer who will review the return with them. If it meets with the clients’ approval, they will sign the return, and the tax return will be efiled. All scanned documents will be deleted.
The earliest this could start is Thursday, Feb 11. Specific information will be
published as it is finalized. Appointments are not yet being scheduled, so please wait to call.
The Bemidji Senior Center will re-open on Monday, January 4th, 2021.
The Bemidji Senior Center is committed to the health, safety, and well-being of all that enter our building. Our COVID-19 Preparedness Plan follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) guidelines and federal OSHA standards related to COVID-19.
The Bemidji Senior Center will be temporarily closed beginning Monday, November 23rd through the month of December due to the current COVID-19 infection rates in our community. The health and safety of the volunteers, employees, and senior citizens that use our building is our priority.
Lutheran Social Services Senior Nutrition will still deliver Meals on Wheels and offer curbside pickup for meals during this time (please use the back door). For questions regarding Meals on Wheels and curbside pickup, please call LSS Senior Nutrition at 444-3987.
Membership applications for the 2021 Bemidji Senior Center membership drive will still be processed during this time and can be mailed to Bemidji Senior Center, 216 3rd St NW, Bemidji, MN 56601.
The Bemidji Senior Center is kicking-off our “GIVE $25 MORE” membership drive for 2021. This year we are asking people to consider giving $25 more than last year for annual membership to the Bemidji Senior Center. All amounts above the Basic Level of $25.00 are tax deductible. The extra $25 will have a big impact on our 2021 operating budget due to our traditional fundraisers being on hold. You do not have to be a senior citizen to be a member of the Bemidji Senior Center, all are welcome. The Bemidji Senior Center is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt corporation. Our mission is to provide a welcoming environment encompassing activities and programs primarily for senior citizens of the Bemidji area. Membership dues help us to accomplish our mission. To learn more about the Center, benefits of membership, and to get a membership form, call 751-8836 or stop in at 216 3rd St NW, Bemidji.
