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our Mission
Shipley Center is the place for Friendship • Recreation • Education

With over 1600 members, there’s always a new friend to be made, either on trips, at social events, or any of our activities or classes. Meet new people while pursuing lifelong hobbies. Try something new that you've never had the time to explore!

You'll find recreation at Shipley in the variety of games our members play such as scrabble, mah jongg, pan, bridge, and more. We even play Jeopardy! now and then! We offer exercise opportunites such as balance aerobics, seniorcise, tai chi, and games like Ping Pong, so there's something for everyone to enjoy.

Interested in lifelong learning? Then take advantage of our catalog of classes in art, language, computers, and more.

Our mission statement--

The mission of Shipley Center is to enrich the lives of adults through social, health and fitness activities, trips, educational classes, low-income housing opportunities, and referrals to community resources.

Our team
The dedicated Shipley Center staff

Our team works hard to make the Shipley Center a welcoming place for all Sequim area seniors.

  • Michael Smith
    Executive Director
    Email: msmith@shipleycenter.org
  • Debbie Hudson
    Front Office Manager,
    Baywood Village Onsite Manager
  • Theresa Fox
    Assistant Office Manager
  • Gayle Urban
    Bookkeeper
    Email: bookkeeper@shipleycenter.org
  • Beth Barrett
    Trips and Front Desk
    Email: trips@shipleycenter.org
  • Shamya Waters
    Program Director
    Email: info@shipleycenter.org
  • Kathryn Kitts
    Leo's Cafe Chef
    Email: cafe@shipleycenter.org
  • Duane Cobb, Maintenance
  • Delores "Dee" Mead
    Office Assistant
    Email: dmead@shipleycenter.org
  • DEBBIE PATTERSON
    Trips Coordinator
    Email: trips@shipleycenter.org
Board of Directors
Get to know the Shipley team

Our Board of Directors is dedicated to making the Shipley Center a rich community of friends who are actively engaged in their golden years through recreation and ongoing education.

Board Minutes
what's going on at Shipley Center!

Read the minutes of our board meetings to stay current on upcoming events and changes at the Shipley Center. Meetings are held at least quarterly.

History of Center
The Social Hub of Sequim area seniors since 1971

Founded 52 years ago as Sequim Senior Center, the Shipley Center has provided generations of seniors with a place to enrich their golden years.

Over the years, we’ve expanded our services, incorporated new classes and trips, and provided a wider array of recreational activities. We’ve opened a cafe and are always looking for new ways to serve our community members.

More than anything else, our priority for the past five decades has been offering a welcoming community for seniors. Friendship is at the heart of everything we do, whether it’s providing a place for old friends to gather and reconnect or introducing new friends over newfound hobbies and activities.

Join our community to become part of our half-century history. Or commit to a monthly donation to help keep our non-profit serving seniors for the next fifty years.

Future plans
Our members and donors make our future possible

We’ve made many changes since we opened our doors in 1971, and our community members are a big part of our growth. By becoming a yearly member, you can contribute to the vision of the Shipley Center’s future. Share classes you’d like to see on our senior center activity calendar, or day trips you’d like to take.

The Shipley Center is a non-profit dependent on donations to keep us operational. If you believe in what we provide for Sequim area seniors, commit to making a one-time or monthly donation. Your generosity goes towards expanding our services and offering a wider array of classes and recreational activities.

Health & Wellness Annex
The Shipley Center Health and Wellness Annex is a 6400 sq ft building that will be constructed to provide a new home for all of Shipley Center’s senior enrichment activities

The Shipley Center Health and Wellness Annex is a 6400 sq ft building that will be constructed to provide a new home for all of Shipley Center’s most active activities, such as Senior-cise, Ping Pong, Balance Aerobics, Tai Chi, and more! The mini gymnasium will have lines for a pickle ball court, volleyball court, and a key at each end for basketball shooting and small court play.

At the other end of the building you will find a demonstration kitchen that will allow for demonstration cooking classes, and hands on activities around food preservation and nutrition. This kitchen, when not used by Shipley Center members, will become a focal point for several local organizations to preserve food for our local food banks, and senior meal options.

Our trips and tours coordinator, Debbie Patterson, will have an office there, so that she can be more easily available to our membership and their guests looking to join one of many exciting and fun trips.

You can help make this amazing addition to Shipley Center possible by making a donation today! All donations received will be matched 100% by the R. Leo Shipley Estate.

Donate Today
A one-time or monthly donation to the center supports a community of active seniors