Assemblywoman Christy Smith, D-Santa Clarita, hosted a resource fair and presented a $450,000 check to the Bella Vida Senior Center on Wednesday.

Hundreds of Santa Clarita seniors gathered in the Bella Vida grand ballroom to share laughs and receive information from state and local agencies as part of a resource fair, which is expected to return in the future. 

Along with the resource fair, Smith presented a grant which gets the senior center “very, very close” to their funding gap, according to Peggy Rasmussen, immediate past president of the board. 

“It brings tears to your eyes. Today we saw people who we haven’t seen for years that are coming back,” Rasmussen said.

After over six years of planning, Bella Vida Senior Center officials should be on track to secure the entire $10 million fundraising goal “soon,” according to Rasmussen. 

The state’s support comes at the heels of a $500,000 grant from Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, in addition to two initial $3.5 million grants from LA County and City of Santa Clarita officials. 

See Related: Assemblywoman Christy Smith To Host Resource Fair, Present $450K Check To Senior Center

“It is just wonderful,” said Kevin MacDonald, executive director of the Bella Vida Senior Center. “We have received some wonderful support from the City and the County, and now to have the state come in and support us, as well as the community. Four different groups have come together to support this beautiful senior center called Bella Vida.” 

The resource fair featured state agencies and nonprofit organizations delivering resources and information to seniors, their families and caregivers, according to Smith’s office.

“Our goal for today was to bring all of these important and vital resources together in one place for our seniors who have mobility challenges or transportation challenges,” Smith said. “We had such an outpouring of support from the community.” 

Hosted in partnership with Bella Vida, the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center, the event also highlights informational seminars regarding fraud prevention, the REAL ID, the Medi-Cal program and more, according to event organizers.

The funds round out the $700,000 that Smith secured for the Simi Valley Free Clinic and the $397,000 obtained for the College of the Canyons modernization of Boykin Hall, according to officials.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.