The new membership year for the JCC Seniors Club is off to a great start, due in part to its active year in 2022.
There is so much going on with this mainly retired and very active group that it’s hard to know where to start or who to feature. Here are a few “honorable mentions” and senior antics from last year that are still going strong this new year.
Patsi Walton, Seniors Club president, leads the meetings. Her strength and determination are an inspiration every single day. Walton always does her job with a smile. She works tirelessly to ensure good meetings with tons of food, excellent information, and fun entertainment—who could forget “Elvis” and “Frank Sinatra?” The monthly meetings involve weeks of planning and preparation and always come together beautifully.
Sherry Lieberman served as the senior programming director for many years and always managed to make the job look “like a day at the beach.” Today, Lieberman is not only the liaison for the Seniors Club, but she continues to run the Seniors Book Club with a committed group of members who faithfully come to the meetings in person and via zoom. Lieberman started the Senior Book Club in 2008, which has now read more than 180 books, poems, and short stories.
Then, of course, there are the Cardo Seniors at the beloved friendship tables. These groups can be seen with six to 10 chairs crowded around a square table meant to seat four people. They talk about everything from politics, food, social media, kids, and grandkids (and even a few great-grandkids), and there’s always room to tell jokes. They fill the Cardo with laughter, love, and wisdom.
After missing two years of the Simon Family JCC Senior Seder due to quarantine, this beloved annual event was reinstated in 2022. Chazzan David Proser of KBH Synagogue led the model Seder, which included traditional holiday food and the Simon Family JCC’s Dave Flagler on guitar. It was a fantastic event filled with tradition, friends, family, and a deep appreciation for being able to gather again. This year’s Senior Seder is just around the corner.
The JCC Seniors Club is for anyone over 55 years old. Whether joining the JCC Book Club, the JCC Seniors Club, having lunch with friends in the Cardo Café, strolling around the ever-changing Leon Family Gallery, playing Mah Jong, Mexican Train, Bridge, Bunco, or knitting with the knitters…there truly is something for everyone and everyone is welcome.
To learn more about United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC’s senior programs, contact Robin Ford, senior adult coordinator, at 757-321-2304 or rford@ujft.org.
–Robin Ford