Today, we held the group HAP intergenerational senior prom at the Gary and Mary West Senior Center. Preparation for this day wasn’t so bad towards the beginning of the quarter, but as the date grew closer, the number of things to get done just piled on—BUT it was all definitely worth it because it’s for the seniors. As a part of the food committee, I went on a mission to get donations from local businesses and managed to secure a $150 gift card from Whole Foods to use towards the prom’s food. The committee decided to provide healthier, nutritious food options as opposed to the Costco pizza from previous years. Meena, Esthel, and I spent hours making 100 cheesecake cups (SHOUTOUT TO MEENA who graciously volunteered her time to bake 200 cupcakes when no one else was able to make time in their school schedules to help). The rest of the committee spent the morning of the prom making sandwiches from the ingredients bought at Whole Foods. I think the committee was very proud of what we were able to accomplish: we made all the food as vegan as possible and used bio-degradeable plates and utensils!
The actual prom itself felt very short given how much time we spent organizing and I wish the seniors had more time to explore the activities we had set up for them. Nonetheless, I’m sure they enjoyed the food and salsa dancing. The decorations were AMAZING and Joey was a great MC. Often times, I feel as though the low-income seniors of San Diego may find a hard time finding dignity in their situation. Our goal with this group HAP was to serve these seniors, and make sure they felt served. Seeing them dance, enjoying food, and coloring the template pictures brought me great happiness. I’m not sure how much interaction the older adults have outside of the center, but being able to have LCS, other volunteers, and the many seniors at the center itself, I can say without a doubt that Gary and Mary West Senior Center is perfect to fulfill whatever isolation or loneliness the older adults may face.
Additionally, witnessing all these college students volunteering their time and giving it their all to serve seniors gives me great hope for what impact LCSers will make in the near and far future for the senior community.
The actual prom itself felt very short given how much time we spent organizing and I wish the seniors had more time to explore the activities we had set up for them. Nonetheless, I’m sure they enjoyed the food and salsa dancing. The decorations were AMAZING and Joey was a great MC. Often times, I feel as though the low-income seniors of San Diego may find a hard time finding dignity in their situation. Our goal with this group HAP was to serve these seniors, and make sure they felt served. Seeing them dance, enjoying food, and coloring the template pictures brought me great happiness. I’m not sure how much interaction the older adults have outside of the center, but being able to have LCS, other volunteers, and the many seniors at the center itself, I can say without a doubt that Gary and Mary West Senior Center is perfect to fulfill whatever isolation or loneliness the older adults may face.
Additionally, witnessing all these college students volunteering their time and giving it their all to serve seniors gives me great hope for what impact LCSers will make in the near and far future for the senior community.