Welcome to PAC Center
The Mission of the Park Avenue Community Center is to foster creativity, build connections and promote the wellbeing of the community through our inspiring programs, classes and events. We are a vibrant and welcoming intergenerational hub that harnesses the power of arts and ideas to enrich, enlighten and change lives.
Programs
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Health and Wellness
“Health is a state of being, wellness a state of living.”
From Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Yoga and Meditation, to nutrition and cooking classes, we are curating programs geared to keeping our minds, bodies and spirits engaged and cared for. Explore what the PAC Center has to offer.
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Continuing Education
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever” — Mahatma Gandhi
At the PAC Center, we aim to bring you the best of continuing education classes that are fun and informative. Whether pursuing personal interests and passions or chasing professional ambitions, lifelong learning can help us to achieve personal fulfillment and satisfaction.
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Culinary Arts
“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art” — La Rochefoucauld
Here at PAC Center, we love to eat, and we love everything about food — from learning about it, to cooking it, to eating it. We look forward to bringing you cooking classes, food events, workshops, pop up eateries and a space for entrepreneurs to dice, slice, bake, or brew in our (coming soon) commercially-certified kitchen.
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Performing Arts
“When I was a kid…no wait, I still do that”
As part of our “take care” mantra, PAC will be offering classes, workshops and events for adults in theatre, dance, music and the spoken/written word. Staying connected to or reawakening that creative spark is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves.
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Senior Citizens
“Getting older is an extraordinaire process where you become the person you always should have been.” – David Bowie
Senior Citizens thrive at the PAC Center thanks to our Community Partner, The Swarthmore Senior Citizens Association (SSCA). Daily activities include games and crafts, Friday Friends, Lunch and Learn, Walks and Trails and SSCA Travels. Join this vibrant community today!
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Kids
“A person’s a person no matter how small” — Horton the elephant
Children flourish at the PAC Center. Creative Classes, performance opportunities, kid focused events, after school programs, tutoring and homework help. Explore our programs, let us know what you’d like to see and consider ways to share your talents with our young community.
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Teens
COMING SOON
“You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” — A.A. Milne
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Summer Camps
Summer Camps are here! We’re rolling out a vibrant and exciting line up of summer camps for all ages. Come see what we’re offering.
Upcoming Events
Are you looking for a chance to brush up on your Spanish conversation skills and have a blast while doing it? Join our new Spanish Convo Group! The guided discussions will cover a variety of fun topics. The Convo Group is open to anyone 12 and older.
Sessions are gratis, pero por favor register online.
Join us in speaking French about a variety of subjects. Open to any skill level, but may be best suited for intermediate speakers. The primary purpose is for participants to practice speaking French and have fun doing it. Event is free.
CADES facilitators lead guided games and activities to bring joy and social connection to participants. This group offers much-needed community connections for both individuals living with disabilities and their caregivers. Participation is free and open to all, no registration required.
ECD is an ideal low-impact exercise that engages your body, mind, and spirit. Plus, it's a great way to socialize and make new friends. Every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month.
Sliding Scale $7 - $10
*Plan to come to one or all of these sessions! Every episode stands on its own.
Each week we will screen a segment from the National Geographic documentary series Blue Zones followed by a lively talk with local health and community leaders.
Ages 11- 15. We will emphasize an audience-first approach to thinking about magic effects and a performance-heavy focus on trick learning. Rehearsing and researching magic can be a skill-building hobby, a creative and artistic outlet, an opportunity to improve stage presence, and an introduction to a quickly growing community of peers!
Snacks and drinks provided. Please eat dinner prior to coming the event.
Join Lori Coyle and Friends for a happy evening of tango social dancing. No experience required. Lori will provide a lesson before the “Milonga” or tango social dance. All levels of experience are welcome!
Sound Meditation, also known as a Sound Bath, utilizes the therapeutic application of sound frequencies and vibrations to provide a powerful and gentle way to shift consciousness and enhance well-being. It is an opportunity to embrace mindful practices and reconnect with our inner selves.
Featured Classes & Programs
Health and Wellness
8 Mondays
Mar 11 - May 6 (no class 3/25)
10 - 11 am
8 Classes - $120
Start your week with a vigorous, strength-based class which energizes the body and increases flexibility. Set to music, this class inspires mindfulness through movement. Come experience the power of yoga to create inner and outer peace, balance and harmony.
8 Mondays
Mar 11 - May 6 (no class 3/25)
6 - 7 pm
8 classes $120
This Barre class uses basic ballet movements to tone and sculpt the body into the long sinewy lines of a ballet dancer. It will build strength as well as improve your cardiovascular fitness. Set to a pop playlist, no dance knowledge or experience necessary. Come get fit and have fun at the barre!
8 Mondays
Mar 11 - May 6 (no class 3/25)
7:15 - 8:15 pm
8 Classes - $120
Start your week with calm through meditation. With practice, meditation can help our hearts and minds be more open and accepting of ourselves and our existence. This short introductory course is open to both new and experienced meditators.
8 Tuesdays
Mar 12 - May 7 (no class 3/26)
6:30 - 7:30am
8 Classes - $120
Wake up to a new day connecting to your breath, mind and body together. Whether beginning a yoga practice or a seasoned practitioner, this class will offer guided sequences to build heat in the body while gaining strength and alignment in the poses.
8 Tuesdays
Mar 12 - May 7 (no class 3/26)
9:30 - 10:30am
8 Classes - $120
Let the music move you and you’ll forget you’re working out! This artful blend of music and dance styles (contemporary, jazz, lyrical, ballet) and conditioning exercises will strengthen your whole body and soul! No previous dance experience required.
8 Tuesdays
Mar 12 - May 7 (no class 3/26)
11 - 12 pm
8 classes $120
We use a chair for seated postures and for support in standing and balance poses. A gentle form of yoga, Chair Yoga offers an inclusive and inviting yoga environment in which we explore with an inward focus, honoring our individual bodies, with mindfulness and compassion.
8 Tuesdays
Mar 12 - May 7 (no class 3/26)
6 - 7 pm
8 Classes - $120
From week to week we focus on a unique class theme, building strength, flexibility, balance and mindfulness through standing, seated and balance poses. We also focus on core strengthening, back bends, and experience being upside down in inversion poses.
8 Tuesdays
Mar 12 - May 7 (no class on 3/26)
5:30 - 6:30pm
8 classes $120
Expect a little bit of everything: classic tap techniques, new dance steps set to short routines, counting steps without music and applying them with music.
8 Tuesdays
Mar 12 - May 7 (no class on3/26)
7 - 8 pm
8 classes $120
It's never too late to learn how to Tap Dance! Learn the basic steps of tap dance, including warm up routines, how to put together basic steps to make combinations, and how to create your own combinations. Basic knowledge of tap dance recommended.
8 Wednesdays
Mar 13 - May 8 (no class on 3/27)
9:30 - 10:30 am
8 classes $120
Build strength as well as improve your cardiovascular fitness. Set to a pop playlist, no dance knowledge or experience necessary. Come get fit and have fun at the barre!
8 Wednesdays
Mar 13 - May 8 (no class on 3/27)
11:00 - 12:15pm
8 Classes - $120
We will gradually move in and out of poses, mindful of our bodies and breath. Honoring the individual, we explore poses with an inward focus. The movements are slow, linked with breath, and postures entered into gently.
8 Wednesdays
Mar 13 - May 8 (no class on 3/27)
6 - 7 pm
8 Classes - $120
Flow through a full body yoga sequence, building strength and resilience as you relax the body and calm the mind at the end of the day. Stretch the areas that accumulate tension from the day, and leave prepared to enter into a peaceful rest of the evening.
8 Thursdays
Mar 14 - May 9 (no class on 3/28)
9:30 - 10:30 am
8 Classes - $120
Jump start your morning with a strength-based class which energizes the body, increases flexibility and balance. Set to music, this class prepares us to embrace the day ahead with energy and focus.
8 Thursdays
Mar 14 - May 9 (no class on 3/28)
11 - 12 pm
8 Classes - $120
This class is designed for age 50+ active adults wanting to keep doing the things we love! With a focus on balance, strength and flexibility, this class uses yoga as a life-long practice to support healthy aging with mindfulness, helping us to enjoy the activities we love for years to come.
8 Thursdays
Mar 14 - May 9 (no class on 3/28)
6 - 7 pm
8 Classes - $120
This dance format is easy enough for beginners to build confidence with more difficult choreography layered in to challenge for the advanced dancer. All set to your favorite dance music, this exhilarating and liberating dance is a calorie burning dance party that will have you addicted from the first beat! Exercise is disguised by all the fun you will have!
8 Thursdays
Mar 14 - May 9 (no class 3/28)
7:15 - 8:15 pm
8 Classes - $120
This class helps melt away stress as you rest in yoga postures supported by bolsters, blankets and blocks. We use yoga and self-massage to calm the mind, relax the nervous system, and ease body tension, allowing deep rest. The class is suitable for all levels
Fridays
April 5 - April 26
9:15 - 9:45 am
4 Classes - $50
Whether you are wanting to improve functional movement or increase athletic performance, this class is for you. This class is suitable for those both new to core strengthening as well as those experienced with core-specific exercises. Suggested modifications to suit your fitness levels and goals will be offered.
7 Fridays
Mar 22 - May 10 (no class on 3/29)
10:00 - 10:45 am
7 Classes - $90
This gentle guided stretching and balance class will use basic stretches and balance skills to better support us in our daily routines.
6 Saturdays
Mar 16 - May 11 (no class on 3/23, 3/30, or 5/4)
8:30 - 9:30 am
6 Classes - $90
Join Ibrahim for a vibrant morning Power Yoga class to wake you up and get you started on your day! Power Yoga is an energetic class, stemming from a Vinyasa-based background. Power Yoga focuses on building strength and endurance while moving through a fast-paced flow. The poses are challenging; moving quickly from one asana to the next with connected breath work.
2nd & 4th Tuesdays
April 23 - August 27
10:00 am - 11:30 am
FREE
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) Allison Garfinkel, RN, provides free drop-in support for breastfeeding mothers in the community.
KIDS
Thursdays
May 2 - May 30
9:30 - 10:15 pm
5 Classes - $75
Come dance, sing and play music!. For toddlers and their caregivers, this is an interactive movement class led by veteran dance educator Bethanne Margies.
Thursdays
May 2 - Free Trial!
May 9 - May 30
10:30 - 11:15 pm
Free Trial & 4 Classes - $64
Join us as we use songs, books, props and imagination to learn about dance, creative movement and ballet. Each week, we will peek into Miss Bethanne’s magic trunk to see what our theme is, and what special books and props we’ll be using for our class.
Mondays
Apr 1 - June 3 (no class 5/27)
4:00 - 5:30 pm
9 Classes - $225
Not all artists who wander are lost....Hop into our time machine to travel to different artistic time periods to work with multi-mediums to create your own masterpieces. We're heading to the lands of: Pop Art, Expressionism, Surrealism, Abstract, Cubism and even Street Art! I guess we'll have to DIY our own Tardis!
Grades 1 - 5
Mondays
Apr 1 - June 3 (no class 5/27)
4:00 - 5:30 pm
9 Classes - $225
Philadelphia-based choreographer and dance artist Aubrey Donisch invites kids who are storytellers-kids who love to dance, write, and draw their own worlds. This project will culminate in a showing of these stories through movement and art.
Grades K-3
Mondays
Apr 1 - June 3 (no class 5/27)
5:45 pm - 6:45 pm
9 Classes - $180
In this class, young dancers will be introduced to the foundations of creative expression and learn how to make creative choices and find the joy in dancing together every week!
Ages 4-6
Tuesdays
Apr 2 - June 4 (no class 4/23)
4:00 - 5:30pm
9 classes - $225
This is a seasonal class, so each session will vary in plants and projects that are available at the different growing stage. In this class we will learn about herbal first aid and how to use it on our adventure up the mountain in the board game Wildcraft!
Grades 2-5
Tuesdays
Apr 2 - June 4 (no class 4/23)
4:00-5:45 pm
9 Classes - $225
Grades 3 - 5
From wild stories to obstacle courses and action scenes. Explore the basics of animation through a simple exercise before expanding into your own world or grueling obstacle course. All with the help of LEGO, no drawing needed. All students need to BYO Tablet and download STOP MOTION STUDIO (free version)
Tuesdays
Apr 2 - May 28 (no class 4/23)
6:00- 7:15 pm
8 Classes - $160
Ages 11 - 15
Focus on Digital Backgrounds
Expand your skills in digital art by learning background design. Understand the basics of perspective and when to use them. Explore various locations from city streets, to forests and other worlds. Learn how to embellish your world with people and artifacts. All students will need to BYO Tablet with a drawing App and a stylist.
BYO Tablet and drawing stylus!
Wednesdays
Apr 3, Apr 17, May 1, May 15, May 29
10:00 - 11:00 am
5 Classes - $75
Ages 1-5 with a Caregiver
SIGHT, SOUND, TOUCH, TASTE and SMELL! Kids ages 1-5 and their caregivers will enjoy a fun morning of Sensory Play. Set up in stations, kids will have full autonomy to move from one sense to another at their leisure.
Wednesdays
May 8, May 22, June 5
10:00 - 10:45 am
3 Classes - $54
Ages 1-5 with a Caregiver
Join us for a fun learning experience about your backyard songbirds! We will do book readings, learn to identify birds, talk about migration, nesting habits, listen to bird songs, and create simple bird related crafts to take home.
Wednesdays
Apr 3 - Jun 5
4:30 - 5:30 pm
10 Classes - $250
All the world’s a stage! Using original characters and unique settings, students will brainstorm together, write, and perform an original theatre piece. Through group storytelling, theatre and improv games, students will learn the basic techniques of playwriting and acting, how to design props and scenery and learn to work as an ensemble to present an in-class performance at the end of the session. Save-the-date: Wednesday June 3rd at 5pm
Grades K - 5
Wednesdays
Apr 3 - May 15
7:15 - 8:15 pm
7 Classes - $105
This class aims to empower young people to listen to their bodies by moving in a safe way and finding the power in their voice to build self-confidence. Students can expect to develop tools to help them build their own personal yoga practice, manage feelings of stress and anxiety while exploring basic yoga.
*For Middle and High School teens
Thursdays
Apr 4 - June 6
4:00 - 5:30 pm
10 Classes - $250
Who doesn't want to live in a world filled with magical myths and legendary creatures! Drawing on children's wild imaginations and notable mythology from around the world, students will explore the worlds of fantastical beasts such as Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot and leprechauns... are these beings just storied characters or is there truth to their existence, once upon a time!
Grades K-3
Fridays
Apr 5 - May 24
10:45 - 11:45am
8 weeks - $160
Ages 0-8 with a Caregiver
“Baby Jamz” is more than just a music class; it’s an extraordinary adventure filled with laughter, learning, and love.
Thursdays
Apr 4 - June 6
4:00 - 5:30pm
Grades 3-5
Art of Embroidery: Learn the basic stitches (running stitch, back stitch, split stitch, satin stitch, stem stitch, french knots and seed and fill stitches) and embellishments (buttons, sequins and seed beads) to enhance your creations.
Fridays
April 5 - May 31 (no class 5/24)
9:30 - 10:15am
8 weeks - $160
Ages 0-4 with a Caregiver
Zumbini is an early childhood education program that uses original music and movement to promote cognitive, social, fine/gross motor skill and emotional development for children ages 0-4, all while creating the ultimate bonding experience for families.
Fridays
Apr 5 - Jun 7
4:00 - 5:30 pm
10 Classes - $250
Improvisation. Problem-Solving. Teamwork. These are the skills needed to play the world’s greatest roleplaying game. Before you start rolling the dice, join us to strengthen those skills through a series of theater-based games and activities. By the end of this course you’ll be able to join any D&D game as an expert in collaborative storytelling!
Grades 3 - 5
Fridays
Apr 5 - May 31 (no class 5/24)
6:00 - 9:00 pm
8 Classes - $200
Calling all Dungeons & Dragons... the role-playing game that can go on forever! Our Dungeon Masters are ready to teach new players the basics of the game and keep seasoned players on their toes! Head into our Spring campaign!
Ages 12-17
2nd & 4th Tuesdays
April 23 - August 27
10:00 am - 11:30 am
FREE
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) Allison Garfinkel, RN, provides free drop-in support for breastfeeding mothers in the community.
Senior Citizens
April 29
12:00-2:00 p.m
We’ll have a “One Hour Film Festival”. We’ve picked six short films that will take us through many different places and many different moods. We think you’ll enjoy the ride.
May 1
12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
What IS the Swarthmore Discussion Group? Who are the speakers? What do we discuss? How do I sign up? Peg Christensen, Chair of the SDG board and one of the busiest leaders in our community, will share with us the line up and logistics of the popular Swarthmore Discussion Group!
May 8
12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Get ready for your next week (or weekend) at the shore! Bring a Book that you would like to pass on to another member! We will mix and mingle, and swap books.