‘I Was Waiting for It!’
Goddard Riverside Older Adult Centers reopen with dancing and BBQ
| 13 Jul 2021 | 01:16
Blanca Padilla in Goddard Riverside’s Lincoln Square center. Photo courtesy of Goddard Riverside
Friends reconnect at Lincoln Square. Photo courtesy of Goddard Riverside
Jules LaFontant in the dining room at Goddard Riverside’s Columbus Avenue center. Photo courtesy of Goddard Riverside
At the grand reopening of Goddard Riverside’s Lincoln Square Older Adult Center, a DJ spun tunes ranging from golden oldies to contemporary bachata. The large dining room was filling up in advance of lunchtime, and a handful of members got up to dance.
“I’m very happy,” said Blanca Padilla, sporting a sparkly headband and numerous pieces of jewelry that she made in the center’s jewelry class.
“All my friends here — that’s the main thing I’ve missed,” Padilla said. “Also Zumba and Latin dance. I love to dance every day!”
Goddard Riverside’s Older Adult Centers shut down in-person activities in spring 2020, as COVID-19 swept through the city with frightening force. Since then the staff at the centers have done what they could to offer support, moving activities online and checking in with residents regularly by phone. But members say nothing can really replace going to the center and seeing your friends in person.
“I was waiting for it!” said Dinorah Hernandez. “I’m so tired of being in my apartment.”
At the center on Columbus Avenue, the theme from “Welcome Back Kotter” played as members lined up for a celebratory meal of barbecue with corn, coleslaw and vegetables. Jules LaFontant said he usually came two or three times a week for piano lessons, exercise classes and meals. “You get to talk to your friends and play dominoes,” he added.
Milagros Lopez has been coming to this center for decades. She’s participated in lots of projects over the years to build attendance and get members more engaged. “I was able to involve people to become closer to each other and help each other,” she said. “I missed that.”
How does it feel to be back after so many months? Lopez’s answer was succinct: “Wonderful.”