By Taylor Boyd
The Town of Ridgeway is partnering with the Southern Area Agency on Aging and Ridgeway Ruritan Club to offer free weekly Tai Chi classes for seniors this fall.
The 16-week program is scheduled to begin Sept. 15, with classes at 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays at the Ridgeway Ruritan building.
A certified Tai Chi instructor will guide seniors ages 60 and older through exercises designed to help with arthritis and fall prevention.
There is no charge for the class, but it is limited to 12 participants, and registration is required, Mayor Craig O’Der said.
“If we get enough people, we’ll do two classes on that day, one at 9:30 a.m. and one at 10:30 a.m. That’s my goal: to get 24 people to sign up,” he said.
Participants also will be required to sign a waiver.
“We’re really excited because health and welfare is one of the priorities that we’ve tried with the addition of our recreational area that we have out there. I think this will help some people, especially with fall prevention and arthritis assistance. The program’s low impact, so you don’t have to be a martial artist to go in, it’s going to be basic moves and exercises and so forth using the Tai Chi methods,” O’Der said.
If the class is successful, O’Der hopes it can be offered again beginning in 2027.
O’Der said the Southern Area Agency on Aging offers other programs that could benefit seniors in the area, including a walking program he hopes to bring to Ridgeway in the future.
The Tai Chi class is funded through a grant, O’Der said.
“So this is not something they just threw together, it’s a program that’s funded through a grant that they take data on. We’re very excited to try and bring some of these programs to our area,” he said.
To register, contact Ridgeway Activities Coordinator Jeananne Hammond at 276-956-2328 or [email protected].
