Hispanic seniors find place for fun
"The frog!" Frank Navarro belted out in Spanish.
"Present!" Olga Bourge responded, also in Spanish, eliciting laughter from her peers.
"The little black one!" Navarro intoned a little while later.
"There he is!" yelled someone, as Angel Romero grinned widely and everyone else laughed again.
This exchange happens almost verbatim on most Wednesdays at Fox Valley Park District's Prisco Community Center in Aurora, where Spanish-speaking seniors attend the Club Social Edad de Oro, which translates from Spanish as Golden Age Hispanic Social Club.
From 7 to 9 p.m., Latinos ages 50 and older get together to eat, share stories and play games. Among their favorite pastimes is the Mexican "loteria," a game similar to bingo but with pictures instead of numbers.
Frank Navarro, 52, who founded the club with his wife, Consuelo Navarro, 51, calls out the cards, as the seniors diligently put pennies on the respective pictures.
Some of seniors -- like Bourge and Romero -- have humorous nicknames, and, when their card gets called, the ritual ensues.
"We gather round and make jokes," said Romero, of Aurora, a native of Puerto Rico whose youthful looks belie his 73 years. "My favorite part is to make people laugh."
Many of the club's members live in Aurora, but some come from as far away as St. Charles -- like Amparo Quintero Gallego, who recently beamed with happiness as her friends sang "Happy Birthday" to her in Spanish. Her 69th birthday was just a few days away.
The diminutive native of Colombia smiled even wider as the group launched into singing "Las Mañanitas," a traditional Mexican song for birthdays and other special occasions.
"They are all my friends," she said. "They love me very much, and I love them."
Quintero Gallego lives with her daughter, Leonor Benson, who drives her from St. Charles to Aurora every week and stays for the duration of the meeting. When her mother moved from Colombia two years ago, the change in lifestyle was dramatic, Benson said.
"I knew that it was going to be difficult for her, because the culture is very different, and she was used to going out all the time," she said.
Benson decided she needed to find a social activity for her mother, who doesn't speak English, and found out about the Golden Age club. Now, it's become the highlight of her mother's week, Benson said.
"She likes it a lot, all week long she thinks about Wednesday," she said.
The Navarros, who live in Yorkville, said they formed the club six years ago because there are few -- if any -- social outlets for Spanish-speaking seniors in the Aurora area.
"We saw the need for Hispanic elderly people who don't have much to look forward to. They are always at home and don't have any activities," Consuelo Navarro said. "We wanted to give them some entertainment."
The Navarros have a long history of organizing social clubs. They met through mutual friends as students in high school, and shortly afterward formed a youth club for Latinos. Today, Frank Navarro runs three soccer leagues for both youth and adults.
The first meetings of the Golden Age Hispanic Social Club took place in the Aurora home of Pilar Gil, 78, a native of Argentina who still attends meetings faithfully. Within a few months, attendance grew so much that a new space had to be found.
The Fox Valley Park District now co-sponsors the group and donates free use of its meeting rooms.
"We spend two lovely hours together -- we forget about the problems at home, or if it's cold or if it's hot, if it rains or if the sun is out," Gil said. "Everyone is really nice."
The only drawback? "I still can't find a husband, but oh well …" she said jokingly.
The group meets on most Wednesdays, excluding occasions like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. The Navarros have attended virtually without fail for the last six years -- when one doesn't show up, illness could be the only reason, Consuelo Navarro said.
Members take turns bringing food for dinner. Last Wednesdays' menu included roasted pig, rice with pigeon peas, and "tres leches," a cake made with the "three milks" in the name, for dessert. Speakers occasionally will address such topics as depression, health and the effects of aging.
The seniors also have gone on field trips in summer, either to park district outdoor concerts or to the casinos in Aurora and Elgin. The Navarros are considering a field trip to Starved Rock State Park, "but with this age group, you gotta be careful," Frank Navarro said.
Both husband and wife work full-time: Frank Navarro as a supervisor for the Department of Children and Family Services and Consuelo Navarro as a supervisor for Caterpillar Inc.
Sometimes, after a long day at work, going to club meetings is not her first choice, but it always ends up being fun and worthwhile, Consuelo Navarro said.
"You learn that you have to treat everyone with respect, and that you have to adapt and be able to relate both ways, up and down (in age)," she said.
The club has gone through sad occasions, too, as some members have passed away over the years, Frank Navarro said.
"It gives you a better appreciation of life, and of the changes that people go through -- the emotional and physical changes that happen (with age)," he said.
The Navarros said they relish the chance to make a positive impact on other people's lives.
"This is what we do to give back, because you've got to give back something," Consuelo Navarro said.
"My idea at first was to organize it, get it together, get it going and have the park district hire someone for it," Frank Navarro said. "Since then, we've stayed with it, because we like it and we see it as our mission. We really are providing a community service."
FYI
The Golden Age Hispanic Social Club meets 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays at the Prisco Community Center, 150 W. Illinois Ave., Aurora. Attendance is free and open to anyone. For more information call Frank and Consuelo Navarro at (630) 553-2975.