The L.E. Phillips Senior Center is getting “Fit for the Future” with the launch of a $3.6 million capital campaign to fund renovations and improvements at their facility, 1616 Bellinger St. “For years, our members have been needing more space and more opportunities for fitness and community activities,” Executive Director Mary Pica-Anderson said.

This campaign will fund the addition of a 4,000-square-foot ground-level fitness facility and the renovation of the building’s lower level, which is currently used for fitness. The remodel will include a new community center, meeting rooms, and spaces for partnerships with the Aging and Disability Resource Center and Literacy Chippewa Valley. The L.E. Phillips Family Foundation will match up to $1.1 million if raised by Feb. 14. Currently, the senior center is home to more than 100 programs in wellness, fitness, and social activity.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that within 10 years, there will be more seniors than children in the United States. “This expansion has been a dream of ours for many years, and has become more pressing as the senior population increases,” said senior center Board President Jim Deignan. “We are launching this major fundraising campaign to fulfill our mission to provide programs to keep seniors healthy, connected, and independent.”

For more information or to donate, visit the Eau Claire Community Foundation website at eccfwi.org.