 |
Fleet Week Service Members Visit Senior Center
(June 4, 2010) |
|
| | NEW YORK (MCN - 5/30/2010) — Several service members from the
amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, and Special Purpose Marine
Air-Ground Task Force New York, visited with some of New York's
senior citizens at the Jewish Association for Services for the Aged
program's Williamsburg Senior Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., May 28,
2010, as part of Fleet Week New York's community outreach projects.
The group Sailors was led by Marine Capt. Afinju McDowell, the
movement control officer-in-charge of SPMAGTF NY, and a Brooklyn
native. McDowell and seven enlisted Sailors from the Iwo Jima were
joined by the ship's chaplin, Lt.j.g. Larry Jones.
None of the service members new quite what to expect of the visit ...
all of them agreed they didn't expect what they walked in on upon
arriving at the center. |
“I was greatly and pleasantly surprised by the
event,” McDowell said, with a giant-smile. “I
was expecting to go to a traditional senior
center ... what I walked into was a ‘high school'
senior center.”
“There was lively music and people,” he
continued. “I felt buoyed-up by that.”
The service members happened to join the centers
members during the middle of a monthly party
said Melissa Cardenas, the center's director.
She explained that the center strives to keep
its patrons active by offering a number of
weekly events and one major event at the end of
every month – this month's event was a
Latin-themed dance.
The service member's entered the building to a
mass of cheers and praise, not to mention a high
paced cha-cha dance. Before you |
|
Capt. Afinju McDowell, movement control officer-in-charge of SPMAGTF NY, dances with a lady from Williamsburg Senior Center. Several service members from the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, and Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force New York, visited with some of New York's senior citizens at the Jewish Association for Services for the Aged program's Williamsburg Senior Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., May 28, 2010, as part of Fleet Week New York's community outreach projects.ore than 3,000 Marines, Sailors and Coast Guardsmen are in the area participating in community outreach events and equipment demonstrations. |
|
know it the service members were introduced and
out on the dance floor showing off their skills. |
|
“It was great,” said Seaman Ronnie E. Frost, airmen from the USS Iwo Jima.
“I got the chance to meet new people. I got to put a smile on their face;
they enjoyed my company, so I enjoyed doing it.”
“I thought I was going to be sitting and telling stories,” Frost added. “I
didn't expect to be enjoying myself by dancing ... I mean I learned to cha
–cha!”
While some sailors danced with the seniors, others helped the center's staff
conduct a brownie sale in which the proceeds went toward the center's
programs and activities.
According to Cardenas, the center also provides many important services for
the senior citizens of New York City, besides engaging activities. The JASA
with funding from the New York City Program for the Aging provides seniors
with social services, and many other types of support and counseling. The
center also provides lunch from Monday thru Friday.
Cardenas said the seniors at the center really looked forward to seeing the
service members and the amount of attendees was very high.
“When we got the approval for the sailors to come by we published it and
[the seniors] got very excited,” she said. “I didn't think there was going
to be such a huge turnout.” | |
Article and photo by USMC Cpl Bobbie Curtis
New York City Public Affairs
Copyright 2010
Reprinted from
Marine Corps News
Comment on this article |
|
