The Paradise Center announces moving plans

The Paradise Center is moving.

The resource center will relocate to Temple Beth Israel from the second floor of the Longboat Island Chapel.

In August, Executive Director Suzy Brenner said the ideal location would be the Northern Trust Bank building on Bay Isles Road across from the Longboat Library. Fundraising for that plan is underway now.

Brenner said this move will help The Paradise Center reach half of its goal. It gives the center a more centralized location on the island rather than its home on the north end.

On Monday, Brenner released a statement announcing the Center’s move.

“We have been seeking a more central, visible and easily accessible location on Longboat Key, and until we have raised the funds for our own building, we are thrilled that Temple Beth Israel has extended an invitation to house our organization,” she said in a statement.

Originally, The Paradise Center was created as an outreach program of the Longboat Island Chapel, where the center has been based since its inception.

The Paradise Center rebranded from its original name of the Aging in Paradise Resource Center in August and announced it was searching for a new home as it was outgrowing its space in the chapel.

Along with the name change came a new partnership with the The Longboat Key Center for Healthy Living, but the chapel continued to donate its second floor to The Paradise Center.

Although Brenner and Temple Director Isaac Azerad are still working out the details of where the programs will take place in the temple, Brenner said this location will increase the center’s visibility.

“It makes perfect sense for The Paradise Center to be here at TBI,” Azerad said in the statement. “They can continue to increase their programs, and we can offer even more activities to our members. We share a goal of supporting the community, and we can do it even better together.”

Brenner said she hopes to make the move sometime in May, which would give the center time to work out any kinks during the quieter summer months. The new location also will provide the center with more space, meaning less programs will have to be capped in attendance.

Programming will continue year-round as scheduled.

Over the last few years, The Paradise Center has continued to grow offering 297 activities in 2017 with attendance almost at 4,000.

“We live in this paradise, but the need is strong for the seniors in our community to have a place to combat loneliness and isolation,” Brenner said in the statement. “The popularity of our games is evidence of this need.”