Community Center Programs Return for Blythe Seniors, with More Improvements Planned for Center

BLYTHE – After a few years’ hiatus due to COVID-19, programs and activities for senior citizens have resumed at the Doris Morgan Community Center in Blythe.

In partnership with the City of Blythe, the Riverside County Office on Aging relaunched programs at the center in late August, with a full schedule of activities throughout September. Attached is a calendar of activities planned for this month.

The reopened service, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., starts with morning coffee followed by lunch service, with the option to stay for activities like board games, crafting with beads, Bingo and more. The center sees 25 to 30 residents on average participating in the activities, which is growing as word gets out.

Supervisor V. Manuel Perez worked with the Office on Aging to quickly get programs back up and running that residents had enjoyed for years prior to the center closing amid COVID-19.

“The Riverside County Office on Aging has done an incredible job following up and bringing programs back to the Doris Morgan Community Center, and I appreciate their commitment to the Blythe community,” said Supervisor Perez.
Supervisor Perez adds, “These activities are important for mental health and combating isolation and for building community. For these reasons, I am happy that folks seem to be enjoying the programs and we are seeing more people coming to the center. I also appreciate the partnership with the City of Blythe on the upcoming improvements that will continue the vision of the late Doris Morgan, in making this center inter-generational and for the entire community, in addition to our seniors.”

The Office on Aging provides meals and senior services at the city-owned Doris Morgan Community Center. In recent years, the county agency has received additional state funding from the California Department of Aging that the county is investing to the benefit of the Blythe community. With these funds, the Office on Aging has increased its community center team to include a social services practitioner and a social services supervisor who work to connect residents to needed services.

The Riverside County Office on Aging and the City of Blythe are working in partnership to improve the community center, with plans to upgrade the center’s Wi-Fi access, kitchen space, appliances and flooring. The improvements are anticipated to be completed by June 2024.

The Office on Aging and the Palo Verde Valley Transit Agency are also working together to promote and enhance transit ridership, not only to the community center, but through other parts of the city.

Jewel Lee, Director of the Riverside County Office on Aging, welcomes everyone to the Doris Morgan Community Center, which is located at 445 N Broadway in the City of Blythe. She states, “The Office on Aging wants to recognize and celebrate the unique history and vibrance of the city, and we hope to offer an inviting place for people to share and exchange these diverse experiences and stories. Our goal is to continue to promote the sense of ownership, belonging, and community that Blythe is known for. We want to encourage patrons of all ages to enroll in our programs, and we look forward to seeing your presence to fill the space with laughter and joy once again. Welcome back!”

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Supervisor V. Manuel Perez represents the Fourth Supervisorial District on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. The largest district in the county by geography, the 4th District covers eastern Riverside County, from Whitewater, stretching across the entire Coachella Valley south to the Salton Sea, up Highway 74 to Idyllwild and the mountain communities, and heading east of the Coachella Valley to Blythe and the Colorado River.

Supervisor Perez’s office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.