Daday: Elk Grove Senior Center hub for the 90-somethings
A funny thing happened to administrators with the Elk Grove Senior Center. When they tried to take a photograph of their members, 90 years and older, they couldn't fit them all in one frame.
"We were surprised how many there were," says Cindy Sortino, director of the Elk Grove Park District's Hattendorf Center, where the Sheila Ray Senior Center is located.
Last week, they invited the nonagenarians to a second annual luncheon, complete with entertainment and a trivia contest.
"We're seeing people living longer," Sortino added. "They're more active and more involved, and our center really relies on them. We're all about volunteering."
Take Phil Barry, 92, of Elk Grove Village. He enjoyed a successful career as a mechanical engineer with Teletype Corp. When he retired, he says, his wife convinced him to come with her to the Senior Center.
That was in 1986, and he hasn't looked back. Beyond pitching in with volunteer needs, Barry responded to a request from the staff to organize current events programs, something which he did for more than 20 years.
Even at the luncheon, staff turned to Barry to draw up a portion of the trivia contest that featured national landmarks.
"I'm just interested in things," Barry said of his current events role, "so I've enjoyed doing it."
More than that, Barry says, it has kept his mind active, which he credited in part with his long life.
Across the room, Helen Zalar, 95, enjoyed the luncheon.
She had spent her adult life working as an accountant. When she moved to Elk Grove to be closer to her daughter, she sought out the Senior Center as a place to meet others and make herself useful.
That was nearly 20 years ago. She has worked in the gift shop and at the front desk, and more recently sorting donations for the rummage sale, and she will pitch in to help prepare for next month's Halloween party for area youngsters.
"I used to put in 40 hours a month," Zalar said. "I fell recently and had to cut back … but I love it. Everyone knows me here."
Mary Wu, 95, of Elk Grove Village, volunteers in the center's kitchen, helping to portion out food for the daily lunch program. It fits with her personal philosophy that the key to long life is eating wisely and getting plenty of exercise.
"I come every day," Wu said. "I enjoy it. I like what I do."
Marion Chrabot, who turns 90 this month, pitched in her theory on the benefits of volunteering: "It keeps us out of trouble."
Members of the Senior Center's advisory board created the party and they continue to support it. Each of the eight members sat at different tables at the luncheon and helped facilitate teamwork during the trivia contest.
"We're trying to facilitate people working together," said Rod Marino, one of the advisory board members.
It was Marino who created the opening section of the trivia contest, on big band tunes. The sound clips ranged from "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" and "In the Mood," to "Taking the A Train," and one that seemed to capture the mood of the party: "Ain't Misbehavin'."