Amarillo Senior Citizens Association (ASCA) was started in 1973 by a group of local citizens. Mary E. Bivins, who left a legacy in the Bivins Foundation, dedicated in part to fostering and financing institutions to enable the elderly to spend their last years in dignity and enjoyment was key to the beginning of the center. After Amarillo High School burned in 1970, ASCA was able to acquire a permanent space when Amarillo College acquired the old Amarillo High School building and dedicated a permanent space for a senior citizen center. In January, 1979, the Association received a contract to operate the Senior Aides Project from the National Council of Senior Citizens in Washington. Currently ASCA operates the Senior Aides program as a sub-grantee of Senior Service America located in Silver Spring, Maryland.