By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
On Tuesday, Kerry Hjelmgren, the Executive Director of FiftyNorth, gave a presentation to the City Council about the organization and its positive impact on seniors and the overall Northfield community. The presentation was an opportunity for the whole community to learn more about the organization.
The idea of first forming an organization for seniors in Northfield started in 1973. It was followed up with the city purchasing the former Alliance Church at Woodley Street and Division Street. The Community Action Center (CAC) opened the Leisure Lounge and senior dining inside the building. However, soon after Northfield Senior Citizens, Inc. was formed, separating from the CAC, and began seeking a large space in the 1980s and 1990s. When the idea of the Northfield Community Resource Center (NCRC) was formed, a suggestion was made to include the senior center in the space. As part of the agreement, the Northfield Senior Citizens donated $1.3 million for the WellnessCenter portion of the building and made an agreement with the city to pay half of the operational costs going forward.
Membership is open to anyone in the community over the age of 50, and currently, there are 2,100 members in the organization, which is a new record for the organization. Hjelmgren stated of the FiftyNorth members, 84% of them live in Northfield, with the rest coming from the surrounding area. Furthermore, she noted that the organization works to have no financial barriers for new members to join:
“We are very committed to ensuring there are no financial barriers to any FiftyNorth membership. If our fee is any type of financial hardship, individuals are granted a membership scholarship for the yea,r and in 2024, 120 people benefited From membership scholarships.” – Kerry Hjelmgren, the Executive Director of FiftyNorth at the 2/4/2025 Northfield City Council Meeting
She noted that members can apply for a regular scholarship, free class pass, or medical reimbursements from their medical insurance. However, Hjelmgren said that they worked to make sure there were no hoops for a person to jump through to join the organization. In 2024, FiftyNorth gave out $57,000 worth of scholarships.
FiftyNorth operates three facilities in Northfield, of course, their primary space in the NCRC includes the warm water pool, wellness center, group exercise room, staff offices, art gallery, kitchen and dining room, and multiple classrooms. FiftyNorth also operates the Used-A-Bit Shoppe in the River Park Mall, selling used furniture and houseware. The store is staffed mainly by volunteers from FiftyNorth, and the profits benefit the organization. The last location is the popcorn wagon on Bridge Square, also operated by volunteers.
The most popular activities at FiftyNorth are the physical fitness space and classes with 80% of the members participating in a fitness opportunity, Hjelmgren cited the many health benefits of fitness opportunities for seniors:
“We offer over 60 land and Aqua fitness classes each week on-site and online, and our instructors are very skilled at adapting exercise for aging bodies.” – Kerry Hjelmgren, the Executive Director of FiftyNorth at the 2/4/2025 Northfield City Council Meeting
FiftyNorth also has art and music opportunities, as well as presentation and information classes. Since the NCRC is owned by the City, the Parks and Recreation Board stated that FiftyNorth is consistently one of the top parks and recreational spaces used in the city, behind only Bridge Square. Ahead of all of the other parks in the city.
Hjelmgren stated that providing services for all seniors is important to a strong community overall and that, as Northfield continues to get older having robust senior services in place for all will be important:
“FifityNorth is a powerhouse of activity and education and creativity and Wellness that keeps our older adults active, engaged, and connected. We are so grateful to the City of Northfield for its annual support that helps make FiftyNorth and all of this programming and impact possible. As you make decisions about the future of Northfield, I urge you to continue prioritizing the essential Community resource that is FiftyNorth if not already at some point. As Phillip suggested, we’re all going to be looking for a place just like it… a place to live fully as we age and when that day comes, we want to be here for each and everyone of us.” – Kerry Hjelmgren, the Executive Director of FiftyNorth at the 2/4/2025 Northfield City Council Meeting
You can learn more about FiftyNorth by going to their website https://fiftynorth.org/ or see the full presentation presented to the council below:
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