For Spokane adults 30 to 100 who want somewhere to be
Lunch, Cards, Dances and Trips With People Who Save You a Seat
Corbin is where Spokane adults find their table: lunch four days a week, cards, classes, dances and tours, around the corner from Corbin Park, and your first visit is free.
About 1,400 members. Serving Spokane since 1967. 4-star Charity Navigator.
Walk in. Somebody says hello.
Corbin Senior Activity Center sits at 827 W Cleveland Ave in Emerson-Garfield, around the corner from Corbin Park. It has been Spokane’s senior activity center since 1967. About 1,400 members, ages 30 to 100, come here for lunch four days a week, card games, fitness classes, dances and day tours. Plan your first visit, and someone meets you at the door.
What is waiting for you at Corbin?
- A table that saves your seat
- Lunch for a suggested $5 donation
- A bus to somewhere new
Have your weeks gone quiet?
Maybe the phone stopped ringing after the funeral. The casseroles stopped too. By two in the afternoon, the house is so quiet you can hear the clock.
Maybe you live in Seattle or Phoenix, and your mom lives here. She says she is fine. But she has not left the house since Sunday, and the groceries you ordered are still in the fridge. If that is you, here is how families visit Corbin together.
Or maybe you just retired. The first month felt like a vacation. By the fourth month, every day looks like the one before it.
The trouble is not your age. It is days that are too quiet and too much alike. There is nowhere to go but a doctor’s office or a store. Nobody would notice if you stayed home. Maybe some of this sounds familiar:
- You eat lunch standing at the kitchen counter, or you skip it.
- You meant to start walking, but walking alone gets boring by the second block.
- Your friends have moved closer to their kids, or you have been to too many of their funerals.
- You think, “I’m not a senior center person.”
- You picture a room full of strangers, and you stay home again.
And if you did want to go somewhere, there is the cost, the drive and the parking to think about. So another week goes by. Then another year.
Before we tell you anything good about Corbin, here is the honest part.
Who will be there when you walk in?
We get it. Walking into a room where everyone already knows each other is hard. We have watched first visits since 1967, and everybody is nervous on day one. By day two, you know where the coffee is.
So we plan your first visit for you. Someone meets you at the door. A name tag is waiting at the desk. A table host walks you over and introduces you around.
Here is who you are trusting with your Tuesday:
- Serving Spokane since 1967. Corbin started in the empty Corbin Park Methodist Church and opened its doors in 1968.
- About 1,400 members. That is up from about 1,000 in 2023.
- Five staff who know your name. Claudia Ouwerkerk has been Executive Director since August 2022. Brian Ronquillo is Assistant Director, and Ada Anderson is the membership coordinator.
- About 40 volunteers. They work beside the five staff.
- A 4-star Charity Navigator rating. Corbin scores 92% and meets 10 of 10 key metrics.
- A Spokane Parks and Recreation affiliate. Corbin is a nonprofit that has contracted with the City since 1977.
What changes when you have somewhere to be?
People who notice when you’re gone
Corbin has five staff, not fifty, so they learn names. Ask for Ada Anderson, the membership coordinator, on your first day. A name tag waits at the desk with your name already on it. Sit at the same table for a few weeks, and people notice when your chair is empty.
Something on the calendar every weekday
Monday has the Monday Night Dance. Tuesday has Mexican Train, which is dominoes, plus the Tuesday Dance. Wednesday is pinochle. The pool tables are open every weekday. The weekly schedule lists nine fitness classes, eight game and social groups, five dances and dance classes, and three craft groups. Look over this week’s schedule and find your day.
You don’t need a car
Spokane Transit Authority (STA) buses run on Monroe, just east of Corbin. On day tours, Corbin provides the ride, so you can watch the scenery and talk. If you drive, Corbin has its own parking lot.
This week at Corbin
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
What do members say about their first year?
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“I told my daughter I was not a senior center person. Three months later, I’m the one saving seats at the Wednesday pinochle table.”
Sample quote and stand-in photo, real ones to come
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“After my wife passed, I didn’t know a soul. The table host sat me with three people on my first day. They still save me a chair at lunch.”
Sample quote and stand-in photo, real ones to come
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“Lunch is a suggested five dollars, and the day tour came with the bus, so neither of us had to drive. It’s the best money we spend all month.”
Sample quote and stand-in photo, real ones to come
See our Google and Facebook reviews (rating and review count to come).
How do you start?
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Step One: Plan your free first visit
Tell us you’re coming, online or by phone at (509) 327-1584. Pick a class, a dance or just a look around. There is nothing to bring.
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Step Two: We meet you at the door and walk you to a table
We call this The First Lunch. A name tag is waiting at the desk. A table host introduces you to three people. You will know three names before dessert.
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Step Three: Join when it feels like yours
Come as a guest first, for lunch or any class. Join if it feels like yours. Nobody asks you to join on your first visit. When you are ready, see what a membership includes.
New to Corbin? Start with the guide.
The Newcomer’s Guide to Corbin has this month’s calendar, the lunch menu, a map with parking and bus stops, and who to ask for at the desk.
Why do Spokane adults choose Corbin?
Each of these 10 reasons comes with a fact you can check.
- It has been here since 1967, when it started in the empty Corbin Park Methodist Church, and it opened its doors in 1968.
- About 1,400 people belong, and they range in age from 30 to 100.
- Lunch is a suggested $5 donation, and nobody is turned away.
- Feed Spokane hands out recovered food here twice a week, and 8,352 families got food at Corbin in 2023.
- Day tours include the ride, because Corbin provides the transportation on its monthly day tours.
- There are five rooms and a stage, and the Monday Night Dance happens under the Henderson Room’s stained glass.
- About 40 volunteers help five staff keep the doors open.
- Charity Navigator rates Corbin 4 stars, with a score of 92% and 10 of 10 key metrics.
- Corbin is affiliated with Spokane Parks and Recreation, as a nonprofit with EIN 91-1001680.
- Corbin has a parking lot of its own, and STA buses run on Monroe.
Why so little for lunch?
Corbin is a nonprofit. The City pays $31,500 a year, the same as in 2013. It costs $45,000 a month to run (Spokane Journal of Business, Nov 2025). Tours, events, rentals and the people in the room make up the rest, which is why lunch is a suggested $5 donation. If you want to help with the rest, you can give to Corbin.
What can you do at Corbin?
- Lunch Tuesday through Friday at 11:30
- Soup, a salad bar, a hot entree, dessert and drinks at every lunch
- An international lunch once a month
- Mexican Train dominoes on Tuesday
- Pinochle on Wednesday
- Bridge, cribbage and Scrabble
- Pool tables every weekday, plus Wii bowling
- Stretch and Tone, yoga and chair yoga
- Tai chi and SAIL (Stay Active and Independent for Life), run through ACT 2
- Zumba with Danielle, and Strength and Endurance with Phil
- The Monday Night Dance, and the Tuesday Dance all year
- Line dancing and ballroom
- Tap class, home of the Tap Grandmas
- Quilting with the Sandbox Sewers
- Crochet, painting and creative arts
- A day tour every month, with the ride included
- Extended tours with Collette, Globus, Avalon Waterways and Friendly Excursions
- The Boutique, with donated clothing and accessories, open 10 AM to 2 PM
- The Communicator, the monthly newsletter
- Free parking in Corbin’s own lot, and STA buses on Monroe
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to be a senior?
No. Members here range from 30 to 100 years old. Any adult 18 or older may join.
What does it cost?
Nobody is turned away at lunch. Membership is $35 individual / $60 couple a year. It costs $45,000 a month to run Corbin (Spokane Journal of Business, Nov 2025). The City pays $31,500 a year, the same as in 2013. Tours, events, rentals and the people in the room make up the rest, which is why lunch is a suggested $5 donation.
Can I come once before I join?
Yes, and we would rather you did. Tell us you’re coming, and a name tag will be waiting at the desk. Lunch is on us the first time. Come as a guest first, and join if it feels like yours.
Where do I park and is there a bus?
Corbin has its own parking lot (number of spaces and lot entrance to come). It fills by 12:30 on Wednesdays. Spokane Transit Authority (STA) buses run on Monroe, just east of Corbin. Call (509) 327-1584, and the front desk will help you plan the ride.
Is the building accessible?
Corbin is a former church, so it is a fair question. Here is what the building has: a ramp, an elevator, accessible restrooms and step-free rooms. Call (509) 327-1584 before your visit. The front desk will tell you the easiest door to use.
Can I bring a friend or my parent?
Yes. Tell us how many are coming, and we will save seats together. Tours are open to everyone, members or not. Planning a first visit with your mom or dad? Call the front desk at (509) 327-1584, and we will plan it with you.
Ready to get your week back?
Pinochle is on Wednesday. The Monday Night Dance is on Monday. Lunch is four days a week, and somebody will save you a seat.
If nobody has said hello before you find the coffee, your first year is on us.
Plan Your Free First VisitFree first visit, no forms to fill out at the door, lunch is on us the first time
