Keystone Community Services

Keystone Senior Services helps seniors “age in place” by providing activities to keeps one’s mind and body healthy. There is overwhelming evidence that shows the importance of fitness and social connections for individuals of all ages. Our programs and activities are designed specifically for older adults and keep our greatest generation engaged as a vital part of our community.

Alert minds, healthy bodies, energized spirits

That’s what the Keystone Active Seniors program is all about! Active Seniors is a year-round program of diverse activities designed to support independence and enhance quality of life. Even in this virtual world, Keystone continues to provide a wide array of exercise, wellness and social/recreational programs to help active seniors stay healthy, independent and socially connected. Participants choose from the program’s many offerings according to desires and interests. All are welcome!

Keystone’s Active Seniors program is designed for adults aged 55-100+ years old. We offer a wide array of exercise, wellness and social/recreational programs specifically for older adults. Fitness classes, social activities and volunteer opportunities are available.

Staying Engaged and Connected Through the Pandemic

Due to the COVID-19 health pandemic, we have closed senior centers and cancelled our in-person active senior programs. We miss seeing all of you and we look forward to when we can all be together again.

For  the time being, we have shifted to virtual programming in order to help everyone stay healthy and connected! We are currently offering a variety of online activities, including exercise classes and social opportunities. To take part in any of our virtual offerings, read more below or call 651-645-7424 for details.

With the vaccine rollout underway, we know many of you might be wondering when you can come back into the Merriam Park or West 7^th Community Centers for cards, Pickleball, and social events again.

Throughout the pandemic, Keystone has been following guidelines from the Minnesota Department of Health about how safely operate programs.  We have been working closely with our partner, Saint Paul Parks and Recreation, throughout the past year to decide when and how to offer programs at our two community center sites.

Providing programs for seniors, youth and families at our two community centers is central to our history and core to our mission and we are looking forward to offering space so we can gather together again as soon as it is safe.

Over the last year, “gathering together” has come to mean something different to all of us, as we all learn to live through the many challenges brought on by the pandemic. We are grateful for the technology we have, the patience bestowed on us by our community, and most of all for the resilience of our participants, especially our seniors. We have so enjoyed connecting with you in new ways over the last year and are thankful that many of you have gone “virtual” with us.

Our community center locations are owned by St. Paul Parks and Recreation, Keystone manages and operates them in cooperation with the City of Saint Paul.  As of March 1st, all St. Paul Parks and Recreation sites are still closed to the public.

We will continue to follow guidelines for re-opening as provided by MDH and in collaboration with our many partners. We will not open our senior program sites until it is safe for everyone – our senior participants, our staff, and our volunteers.

We are eager to safely re-open our sites and we appreciate your continued patience until we can do so safely.  Until we can see you in-person, we look forward to still seeing you online for our virtual exercise, game, and social opportunities.

We will keep you posted on any changes regarding on-site programming at Merriam Park and West 7^th.

Thank you!

We may not be able to gather in person, but that won’t stop the Keystone crew! Join us online!

Virtual games

Do you miss playing games with others? We’re playing games virtually once a week on Zoom, and we’d love for you to join us!

When: Fridays at 11:00am

How to participate: Call or email Karlene for the Zoom link and instructions

Zoom book club

Keystone’s brand new Zoom Book Club will meet once a month, starting in November! Love to read and talk to your friends about books? This group is for you!

When: Third Wednesday of each month, 1:00pm

How to participate: Call or email Karlene for the link to join

Meet us at a Virtual Social Hour

Join us for a virtual social hour every Tuesday at 11:00am on Zoom! Say hi, see your friends, make new friends, and get the chance to visit for a little while. Zoom can be used even if you don’t have a computer or camera on your computer. Call in directions are included to join us via phone or join us via computer without camera. We won’t be able to see you, but you can watch and hear and join the fun anyway! RSVP to Karlene at knivacolgan@keystoneservices.org to get the link to join in!
When: Tuesdays at 11am on Zoom
How to participate: Get the link from Karlene to join in

arthritis exercise class

We’re bringing back an old staple of our Senior Program via Zoom! An Arthritis Foundation trained exercise instructor will lead this low-impact, joint-safe exercise class through the use of gentle stretching and strengthening.

When: Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m.

How to participate: Call or email Karlene for the link to join

Virtual fit and Fabulous class

Log on for Virtual Fit and Fabulous class with Jill, hosted by Keystone
Clear a space in your home and join us for 45 minutes of stretching, cardio, and mindfulness training. You will want to have a stable chair, a couple of weights or cans of soup, a stretchy band (or long scarf or bathrobe tie), and a fitness ball or small pillow to participate fully in the class. And don’t forget your water bottle! Email Karlene at knivacolgan@keystoneservices.org to get the link to join us!
When: Classes are happening every Monday and Wednesday at 10 a.m.
How to participate: Get the link from Karlene and then drop-in anytime.

Wondering how to use Zoom? Check out this tutorial.

This tutorials will have you video chatting like a pro in no time! Keystone staff are also happy to help so reach out to us anytime and we can help get you connected.

Active seniors tell us that two things are important to them – maintaining their health and staying socially connected to their neighbors. With those two goals in mind, our senior activities are designed accordingly.