Amarillo Senior Citizens Association (ASCA) center was founded to provide a community focal point for the delivery of services to older adults. With the combined efforts of several community leaders and the Mary E. Bivins Foundation who truly believed in improving the lives of older adults, Amarillo Senior Citizens became a reality in 1973.
The pieces of the puzzle to create a multi-purpose facility for older adults came together when community leaders Bill Saxton, who was administrator of the Bivins Foundation at the time and Mike McQueen who was with the Panhandle Community Action Program, put their heads together to see this idea come to fruition.
Another piece of the puzzle was the availability of part of the old Amarillo High School building just acquired by Amarillo College. The Bivins Foundation pledged money to hire a director and support staff to get the program off the ground. In July 1973, headquarters were established in the offices of the old AHS band room at 1311 S. Tyler with Mike McQueen serving as the first Executive Director.
By 1976, Amarillo Senior Citizens Association had become a multi-purpose center for senior citizens. It began as a 3-D center – dining, dominoes and dancing. Pool tables and various other card games and crafts were also added through the years,
Over the past 50+ years, Amarillo Senior Citizens Association has experienced some very grand highs and some very devastating lows. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the end of a decades-long lease with Amarillo College and the ASCA stopped their activities and began to regroup. A new board of directors was reorganized in 2022, debuting a new name in 2025. Now operating as the 55+ Club of Amarillo, the organization has quietly been raising funds to renovate the building it purchased from Potter County in 2021. The “Thrive After 55 on Route 66” capital project represents the next chapter in ASCA’s legacy of serving Amarillo’s aging population that will bring back a hub of connection, wellness, and independence for Amarillo’s seniors.
The new 55 + Club of Amarillo facility is expected to open in the summer of 2027. However, membership is now being offered at a nominal price until the building is complete. Membership activities will be planned at various locations outside of the permanent site.
The mission of Amarillo Senior Citizens Association is to help senior citizens maintain independence, wellness, and quality of life through programs and services that meet their present and future needs.
Amarillo Senior Citizens Association, Inc. will be recognized as the destination of choice for senior citizens for nutrition, socialization, and improving quality of life.
Aging is a normal developmental process that brings both rewards and challenges. Older adults have ambitions and are capable of continued growth and development. They have certain basic needs, including the need for opportunities for relationships and for experiencing a sense of achievement.
