For many older people, having a place to go can make all the difference.

That might mean taking an exercise class, meeting a friend for coffee, playing a game, listening to music or simply getting out of the house for a few hours.

That is the idea behind the Cooper Center for Active Living and its fundraising arm, the Senior Citizen Fund.

The center was named for Audrey Cooper, who died in 2001. Cooper and a group of other Newton residents wanted to make sure the town had a welcoming senior center. She and her daughter, Marion Pollock, helped raise money for furniture, kitchen equipment and other supplies for the Cooper Center, which opened last December. Their efforts helped secure $150,000 and became the center’s fundraising arm, which continues to support its needs.

The fund helps older Newton residents who can’t afford the Cooper Center’s programs by providing up to $1,000 in assistance, said Pollock, a member of the fund’s board of directors. That includes scholarships for exercise classes and subsidized meals at the new Cooper Café, as well as confidential assistance for urgent expenses such as rent, medical bills and prescriptions.

“We want to improve. We want to increase our visibility,” Pollock said. “I don’t think people know about us. I don’t think people realize that there are seniors in the city that need emergency funding.”

The fund, led by a volunteer board of directors, is not only about helping older residents financially. It’s also about helping them stay connected to the community.

Last year it provided 21 grants totaling $12,873. The grants helped an unemployed resident pay rent and a resident undergoing dialysis. Other recipients included a resident who needed help with storage fees after being homeless and another struggling to afford heating oil.

“We provide emergency relief funding for seniors in Newton,” Pollock said. “We also try to support small scholarships for seniors who want to take a class and may not have the funding to take a class at the Cooper Center.”

The Cooper Center is designed to be more than just a place for seniors to take classes. It’s intended to be a place where people can come together in all kinds of ways.

The center is also open to people of all ages. By bringing different generations into the same space, the center gives older adults opportunities to meet new people and stay connected to the larger Newton community.

Some Newton North High School students go there during their free periods.

“I come to the Cooper Center because it’s a great place to hangout with my friends,” said 16-year-old sophomore Andy Chung.

For the people involved, the fund is about making the center a place where older residents can spend time, build relationships and feel like they’re part of the community.

“I’m looking to make friends and spend time meeting people and doing a little work,” said Albert Fine, a Newton resident who uses the Cooper Center.

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This story is part of a partnership between the Newton Beacon and the Boston University Department of Journalism’s Newsroom program.