The Blair Sharpe Active Living Centre in Miami is quickly becoming a hub of community activity. A special program and ribbon cutting was held on June 3rd to officially open the facility, which has been operating now for several weeks.
Jolene Callum says the centre is home to the Friendship Centre but is also a facility that caters to everyone of all ages.
"They're (the Friendship Centre) utilizing the space so that they can meet every morning for coffee, and play cards," said Callum. "They now have this access to the multi-purpose centre where they can do shuffleboard, pickleball, you know, really start doing some of those recreational activities, the movement, as well as that social side of it."
The Active Pass is a program to be used by anyone, but was designed to cater more to the younger demographic, or people with a busy lifestyle, added Callum.
“So offering open space to do those types of programming. We also encourage facilitators and instructors. And if we wanted to do yoga, more instructional based activities, I think we have some dance demonstrations going on, (it's) really open to a lot of those things."
Callum says the centre also boasts a fully accessible gym, which is conveniently available from 5:30 am until 11:00 pm.
"So, you can come to get a workout in, bring your friends, and we're actually really seeing a really good uptake in that type of interest," Callum says Miami has a lot of great young athletes, and many of them are starting to find their way to the centre to utilize its fully accessible gym.
Meanwhile, with the Blair Sharpe Active Living Centre being home to the Friendship Centre, it's been wonderful to see how the Friendship Centre has come back in full force, specifically since the pandemic.
"That social aspect is so important for our community to interact with each other and to be able to do things together. It's important for our minds, our bodies, to have those types of opportunities."
Callum says they don't quite know what to anticipate, in terms of numbers and registrations utilizing programs and space at the centre. She noted, however, they are seeing a lot of interest right out of the gate.
Callum stated that the culture around fitness and healthy living has shifted, and the new Blair Sharpe Active Live Centre caters to that changing culture.