Hong Kong Supermarket Trip

At our center we let people take pride in who they are. That's why we celebrate many traditions and cultures. Today for example we visited the Hong Kong Supermarket, the largest Chinese supermarket in Brooklyn. We've found some foods that we might have never even heard of before. I mean would anyone like some Lingchi Osmanthus Honey Beverage? Or how about some Sambal Oelek? Well when you do have a craving for some exotic foods join us on our celebration of many cultures that exist in our center, and the world.

High School Volunteers

Our center welcomes 3 high school community service volunteers this fall! Farah Reza, Jane Abeuova and Joe Santangelo are students at Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences. They are helping to decorate the center and designing arts and crafts projects for our seniors.

This summer we had 3 additional high school volunteers. Dawa Sherpa and Christine Altheim both served as computer instructors for our lab and also updated our databases. Tamar Davis worked with our members on arts & crafts projects. We are very appreciative of their help to our center!

AARP Bulletin

Dorchester Senior Center got a mention in the October 2009 issue of AARP Bulletin! The blurb talks about how Brooklyn senior centers have participated in a pilot program to use NYC school buses for food shopping trips. At Dorchester, we have used school buses to go to Trader Joe's, the Union Square Green Market, and food stores in areas such as Brighton Beach, Rego Park and Staten Island. Our next trip in November is to the Chinese Market area in Brooklyn!

95th Birthday at Dorchester

Dorchester Senior Center does it again! If you come to our center, you just might live a long life.

We had a birthday for one of our members today, Vincent Campo. He just turned 95. Another one of our seniors will soon be 98. A number of our seniors are in their 90's. We will keep you posted when someone turns 100.

Many of our seniors are babies in comparison to the 90 year olds. They are in their early 60's and raring to go. At Dorchester, there is something for everyone. Viva La Senior!

A Visitor at our Center: Brokelyn.com

Faye Penn, editor of brokelyn.com, came to visit our center with her young son. They enjoyed our air conditioning during the hot summer day, and they also ate lunch with us.

Brokelyn.com offers cheap solutions to living big in Brooklyn. The site gives tips on dining, shopping and events in Brooklyn, so that you can get the most out of your dollar! The writeup on Dorchester Senior Center following Faye's visit can be found here:
http://www.brokelyn.com/?s=dorchester&searchsubmit=Find

Knitting Club Donation

Solkem Gottingar, a neighbor of Dorchester, has kindly donated many skeins of yarn to our knitting club. We would like to thank her and other neighbors who help make our center a great place!

ESL Graduation!

Our Spring '09 Russian ESL class held a graduation celebration following many months of hard work! All graduates received a certificate for completion of the class. Rivkah Berman from ESL sponsor The Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island presented the certificates.

Following the awards ceremony was a big party, with lovely danish! Everyone was proud of their accomplishments.

Rivkah Berman of JCC with ESL instructor Fira Kalendareva.

Trip to South Street Seaport Museum

Dorchester Senior Citizen's Center took a trip to South Street Seaport in lower Manhattan. First, we went to the mall area filled with lots of stores and a food court. Around the seaport, there were many outdoor cafes and discount designer clothes stores. Everyone went their own way, browsing and shopping as they liked.

Next, we visited the South Street Seaport Museum. Two sailing ships were open to the public. Inside were logs filled with interesting entries. Each ship had a story to tell with the relics they left behind. We enjoyed our trip to South Street Seaport, and we look forward to more exciting trips like this in the future!

Visions Award

Director JoAnne Biswakarma attended VISIONS' annual banquet and received an award in commemoration of the 35+ year collaboration between VISIONS and Dorchester.

VISIONS, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of blind and visually-impaired youth, adults and seniors. VISIONS' Selis Manor, a learning and recreation center, offers training, adapted recreation, volunteer and social work services, all free of charge. Thanks to CEO Nancy Miller and the staff of VISIONS, Inc. for being a positive voice for Dorchester Senior Citizen's Center. Their support has made Dorchester a great place, even in these tough times.

Trader Joe's Shopping Trip

Dorchester Senior Citizen's Center took a shopping trip to Trader Joe's today. We went to the location in Manhattan on 14th Street. Coming from Brooklyn, it was nice to travel to Manhattan for a change of scenery. Trader Joe's had a big selection of organic and healthy foods. "Being exposed to this type of market will help keep [everyone] healthy in the long run," commented Marilyn, our trip leader. The trip was well attended, and we hope to make trips to Trader Joe's in the future!

Volunteer's Day Award Lunch

Every year, Dorchester Senior Citizen's Center celebrates Volunteer's Day with a big lunch.


This year, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz visited. We were very excited to have him at our center. Galina, our activities coordinator, made sure to have her picture taken with the Borough President, which we have posted here on our blog.







Next, staffer Marilyn Parker presented each volunteer with a certificate and a Dorchester cap.  JoAnne Biswakarma, our director, gave a speech, mentioning, "Our volunteers ARE Dorchester. We cannot work without you." Over 60 members received certificates!




Throughout the year, many of our members help us run the center. Today is the day that we celebrate their efforts. We are glad that our special lunch was a success!

Brooklyn Botanical Gardens Trip

Dorchester Senior Citizens Center went on a trip to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and the dogwood trees were beautiful. Most surprising was the different colored tulips. There was Japanese entertainment, dancing and music. The costumes worn were very bright and colorful. The day was warm and the aroma from the flowers was delightful. We were fortunate to have such good weather for our trip!

Tai Chi - For Relaxation, Balance and Strength

A series of six weekly Tai Chi classes was offered at the Dorchester Senior Citizen's Center, beginning on February 26th. Our final class will be on Thursday, April 2nd, from 11 AM to 12 Noon.

E. Frederic Mirer, our instructor, led the series of six classes, from Cheng Man Ch'ing's form, "Grasp Sparrow's Tail." All of our members that participated in the Tai Chi class found it very helpful for relaxation, balance, and strength. During the class, we learned that these benefits of Tai Chi help seniors stay healthy and young.

More information about our instructor's Tai Chi method can be found at the Patience Tai Chi Association website:
http://patiencetaichi.com

Information on Cheng Man Ch'ing can be viewed at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCEXCHuNVZo&feature=related

NYC Council Member Dr. Mathieu Eugene Presents Women’s History Month Awards

NYC Council Member Dr. Mathieu Eugene visited our center today to honor all the women of Dorchester Senior Citizen's Center. Dr. Mathieu presented awards to two of our dedicated members, Sandra Green and Ruth Yuen. Both of these women show tremendous leadership by contributing their help with projects at the center.

We appreciate Dr. Mathieu's visit, as well as his ongoing support and advocacy for the Dorchester Senior Citizen's Center.

Jokesercise

Last week, the exercise class had a fun time with Howard Newman, who is a comedian and a exercise instructor all in one! During the exercise session, he intertwined jokes with exercise, and everyone participated. We were all in stitches at Howard's jokes, which were very similar to Jackie Mason and Henny Youngman. It was a win-win situation for all -- the center had a wonderful comedian who kept us laughing and we also became healthy with the exercise. We learned that it's true, when they say "Laughter is the best medicine!"

Black History Month

Black History Month was celebrated today with a special lunch, entertainment, and a presentation. Our special lunch featured crispy baked chicken legs, braised cabbage, baked sweet potatoes, cornbread, fresh fruit and juice. This delicious lunch was cooked for us by our regular cooking staff.

We had entertainment from a member of our center, who sang the Negro National Anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing," composed in 1900 by James Weldon Johnson. After that, we had a member speak about various accomplishments of African Americans, such as inventors, writers, and our new president, Barack Obama. We all had a good time while learning about a part of our nation's history.

Korean Special Lunch

Yesterday, we had a special lunch to celebrate Korean Day. Three of our Korean members supervised our cooks in the kitchen, along with our Korean staff member, Soonja Kim. Our lunch menu consisted of yam noodles, beef, spinach, and carrots with sesame oil, and bean salad and rice and soy sauce on the side.

All in all, everyone had a marvelous time eating an ethnic food that many of our seniors have not had the opportunity to try before.

Chinese New Year

A few our Chinese seniors led us in our annual celebration of Chinese New Year on Tuesday, February 3rd. They volunteered to supervise the preparation of an authentic Chinese dinner for everyone. The menu included sweet and sour chicken with pineapple, vegetable fried rice and chicken corn soup. The chicken was really good, and the soup was extra creamy!

Our decorations were in tune with the Chinese New Year. We had red and gold garlands streamed throughout the center. Our members look forward to this festival every year. And boy, did everyone have a good time!

Presidental Inauguration

Today, we are watching President Obama's inauguration on TV. Everyone at the center is very excited about this important event.

Our choral group, the Singing Swingers, sang patriotic songs to celebrate the event. We finished our songs with the National Anthem. We are all excited to be sharing this moment together at the senior center. Fira, our Russian ESL teacher, is also discussing the inauguration in her class.

We are very proud to have a center with a diverse group of people, coming together to watch history in the making.