John T. O'Connor Senior Center

The mission of the John T. O'Connor Center is to be the central location in Knox County, Tennessee, where adults age 50 years and over find programs and services that empower them to care for themselves and to enhance their quality of life. The O'Connor Center will promote community engagement through volunteer opportunities and provide programs and activities that help senior adults stay healthy, prolong independence, and delay institutionalization.

The John T. O’Connor Senior Center, located in Caswell Park, is an activity center that provides a place where seniors can not only add years to their lives but add life to their years. The O’Connor Senior Center provides holistic programming through activity-based interventions to improve the psychological and physical health of older adults in Knoxville-Knox County and in turn improve their overall quality of life. The Center provides these services to approximately 1,800 seniors each year and implements over 30,000 units of service. On average nationally, senior center participants have higher levels of health, social interaction, and life satisfaction and lower levels of income. 75% of participants visit their local senior center 1 to 3 times per week and spend an average of 3.3 hours per visit. The Center serves Knox County residents age 50 and over. There is no membership fee to attend the Center, although some classes may have a fee to support the cost of the class. Programs at the Center focus on health services, physical fitness and exercise, recreation, and education.