It may be coincidence that Pekin’s Gene Miller Senior Citizens’ Center is located on the site of the city’s first artesian well. But then again, maybe it’s not. Like the mineral-rich water that once bubbled from the ground, the Miller Center is all about health — the physical and mental health and well-being of senior citizens.

For 42 years, the Miller Center has been a place for seniors to connect with each other and with important community resources through a wide variety of programs and activities. More than 60 programs offer everything from exercise and wellness classes, to card clubs, bingo, line dancing, special travel tours, a walking club, quilting, billiards, movies, crafts, and much more. Everything is built around a theme: Enjoy Your Age.

Alisha Dault has been the director at the Miller Center since 2015, but her connection with the facility and its programs goes back to 2004, when she first worked as the receptionist while pursuing a master’s degree in gerontology (the study of aging). “This place is my second home,” Alisha said. “I love it here.”

That long experience and passion for helping seniors live full, productive lives is evident in every event, meeting, and activity on the center’s monthly calendar. With the help of a dozen part-time employees and a talented band of nearly 75 volunteers, Alisha develops and coordinates some of the most extensive programming for seniors in the region.

The unassuming facility at 551 S. 14th St., across the street from Mineral Springs Park, was a gift to the community from Gene Miller and a small group of visionary community leaders who believed the welfare of seniors was an investment worth making. When it opened in 1982, Alisha said most communities weren’t thinking much about the senior population. 

“For a city the size of Pekin, we were ahead of the game for our seniors,” she said. “It was forward-thinking, and I am very proud of that.”

Initially a self-sustaining, independent entity, the center became a part of the Pekin Park District after just five years. It remains under park district administration and receives partial taxpayer funding.

Alisha said that, while several outstanding organizations in Peoria and East Peoria offer a variety of quality programming for seniors, the Miller Center is currently the only stand-alone senior center in the tri-county area. A quick look at the center’s monthly newsletter reveals why it is a hub of activity for hundreds of men and women from across Tazewell County.

One of the center’s largest and most important services is transportation. For a suggested fee of only a few dollars per rider, two wheelchair-accessible vans transport people to and from doctors’ appointments, activities at the center, shopping, community events, and other activities around Pekin. The service makes more than 600 trips per month and serves about 300 people each year, Alisha said.

Two rooms in the center are dedicated solely to crafting, woodcarving, and the polishing of stones, called lapidary. The craft room is filled with sewing machines, cabinets full of materials and supplies, workspace, and “anything you can think of to make a craft.” The space is open to the public and is used for regular instructional classes. Likewise, the woodcarving/lapidary room is equipped with tools and supplies for woodcarving and polishing stones. 

Elsewhere, in the facility is a computer lab where nine computers are available for personal use. Through a partnership with the YWCA and AARP, the center offers digital literacy classes on everything from basic web and smartphone skills to online security.

Two large, multi-use rooms hold as many as 175 people and are used for large meetings and classes. The McNaughton Lounge features a fireplace and pool table and is used for various groups. Alisha said it also has a beautiful view of the iconic Mineral Springs Park Pavilion and lagoon. She calls it “the best place in town to sit and enjoy the view.”

Participants in programs and activities are typically asked to pay what Alisha calls a “drop-in fee” of three or four dollars, but she said no one is ever turned away if they are unable to pay. “We would rather have you come in than to worry about the cost,” she said. She added that no one checks identification to make sure you qualify as a “senior.”

Every month, the center and local businesses sponsor the Power of Age Expo, a lunch and learn program on topics of interest to seniors. There is typically a guest speaker, as well as vendors and experts to answer questions. The expo was an all-day event before the pandemic, but like many things, it has evolved to fit the new expectations of the community.

“I could talk about (the Miller Center) for days because I truly love it here,” said Alisha. “I’ve been a part of it for a long time and I believe in it.”

Surprisingly, Alisha said many Pekin residents are not aware of what the Miller Center is or how important it is in the lives of so many seniors. “I hear people say they didn’t know we exist, or that they wish they knew about us sooner,” she said. Some even come in thinking the facility is a nursing home.

“No, this is an active, independent community center for seniors,” she assures them. “People don’t realize who we are and what a great gift the Miller Center is for Pekin.”

“I want Pekin to know how lucky we are to have the Miller Center,” Alisha concludes. “I can see the good that it does.”

Alisha said the best way to learn about what is happening at the Miller Center is through its monthly newsletter. It is available online at www.pekinparkdistrict.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pekinmillercenter, and at sponsoring business locations. The center is open Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4pm, with special evening and weekend hours for some groups and activities.