CHEER Center celebrates Older Americans Day
May is Older Americans Month, and to celebrate, the CHEER Community Center in Georgetown held Older Americans Day May 24.
Hundreds of seniors attended the event to play games, dance to old tunes, partake in a 50/50 raffle and share a lunch prepared by the CHEER Center staff.
The theme of Older Americans Day was Powered by Connection. CHEER Chief Operating Officer Thomas Reardon expressed the importance of laughing, togetherness and social connection for mental and physical health in an age of growing disconnection due to technology. Reardon praised the seniors for their wisdom and life experiences.
“Many of us in this room have navigated raising families, building careers and now mastering the art of retirement,” said Reardon. “You have stories to tell, lessons to share and humor that can only come from a life well-lived.”
Sen. Tom Carper, a 23-year veteran of the Navy, thanked the veterans in the room for their service and recognized all spouses and relatives of veterans. Carper followed up with a recitation of the preamble to the U.S. Constitution.
“For some people, Memorial Day is a chance to go to the beach, a chance to go to the pool or maybe a picnic,” Carper said. “But for some of us, it’s a time when we really do think about those who’ve done it all, risked it all, laid it all out and put their lives ahead of themselves and served us even if it took their life.”
Karen McGrath, Carper’s Sussex County director, announced that Carper, Sen. Chris Coons and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester secured a $1 million grant for CHEER. CHEER is embarking on a project to build more housing and expand its services.
Eugene Young, director of the Delaware State Housing Authority, spoke with seniors about how he hopes to provide for their population if elected to Congress.
“Many of the people here in this room are veterans,” Young said. “Many of the people in this room are teachers. They’ve given so much to our society and it’s only right and it’s important for us to make sure that we’re paying back and providing support for them.”
The Older Americans Day event was highlighted by group dances to classic songs like the “Electric Slide,” the “Hokey Pokey” and the “Chicken Dance.” Between the organized dances, seniors boogied to everything from “Rockin’ Robin” by Bobby Day to the Eagles’ “Hotel California” – a favorite of Carper’s.
Lois Renoll, 94, was the oldest senior in the room. Renoll is originally from Pennsylvania, but has lived in Long Neck for the past 40 years. She has been a member of CHEER for three years. Renoll’s favorite activity at CHEER is prize bingo on Wednesdays.
“I just like the people that I’m with,” Renoll said. “I think it’s the most friendly center around.”
Renoll’s fondest memory is vacationing in Pennsylvania’s forests with her family. They would travel for Easter, and she and her husband hid eggs for her four children to find. On one occasion, her daughter mistakenly picked up a real bird’s egg, which is one of the most humorous moments in Renoll’s memory.
Gary Turner, a CHEER member, said he likes that the center keeps him busy and surrounded by others.
“I like CHEER because I think it gives seniors something to do to keep themselves occupied,” Turner said. “I’m only going to live once, so I might as well live it the way I want to.”
Sarah Kerneklian, another CHEER member, said the community center has helped her both physically and mentally through health issues.
“It’s been very helpful,” Kerneklian said. “I had some brain damage and it got me out of the house, got my cognitive skills a little better and my physical strength, so it’s been an amazing ride for me.”
