Lewes Senior Center turns 50

The Lewes Senior Center started with a simple request from Mayor Otis Smith. 

Smith had heard there was community interest in establishing a place for seniors to congregate and meet, so he appointed Jack Luzzi to look into it.

Luzzi, the president of the Lewes Lions Club at the time, was more than willing.

“I took up the challenge,” said Luzzi, now 101 years old, the center’s first board president. “I talked to several people in town, and indeed there seemed to be interest for such an organization.” 

The senior center was founded in 1967. Early meetings were held in the homes of committee members before Lewes Presbyterian Church became the host. 

“Our mission was to create a place for elderly people to get together to chitchat and talk,” Luzzi said. “At the time, there wasn’t anything like that. It provided a great opportunity for them to participate.” 

The center eventually relocated to its own building on McFee Street in Lewes

The Lewes Senior Center adopted “Friends by the Sea” as its mantra, and its board, staff and volunteers have done everything in their power over the last 50 years to be friendly to the Cape Region’s aging population.

“There is just a warmth and friendly atmosphere the moment you walk in,” said Andy Zampini, board president. “It’s almost like a family atmosphere, which was very attractive to me.”

Like many members, Zampini joined the center after retiring to the area. His wife attended classes and learned the center was developing a strategic plan.

That happened to be one of Zampini’s strongest skills, so he helped the board develop its mission statement, vision statement and core values. A few years later, he joined the board and is now charged with upholding the values he helped develop.

“We take our jobs seriously,” he said. “We look at what’s best for the senior center and its members. We try to be professional, follow the bylaws and do all the things we’re supposed to do.”

The center moved to Nassau Oct. 19, 1989. Birdie Galbraith, the center’s director from the late 1980s to 2005, said the McFee Street facility presented challenges. 

“There was no parking,” Galbraith said. “You have to have parking. There wasn’t even a space for a car.” 

The summer after the center moved to Nassau, where it remains, the city tore up the street and sidewalks. If the center had stayed, getting to and from the center would’ve been difficult for members.

The existing center sits in the shadow of the Nassau bridge on Janice Road.

“Everyone thinks it was given to us, but we bought that building from the state,” Galbraith said. “It was from the school system. It was a Cape Henlopen administration building.”

Galbraith was in her early 40s when she started working at the center, but nearly three decades later she finds herself a member. She goes every Wednesday to play Scrabble. 

One thing she will not forget about her time at the center is the people. 

“You forget they are the age that they are,” she said. “They become part of your family. You don’t even think of them as being a senior citizen. The age thing flies out the window.” 

She added, “I worked with a lot of lovely, lovely people.” 

Present

The center now has more than 1,000 members. Annual membership fees are nominal – $20 for one person and $35 for a couple – and many activities and services are provided for free. Others carry a minimal fee. 

Center Director Dennis Nealen said each senior uses membership differently.

“Some people are lonely, and they come here to just hang out,” said Nealen, who has been in his current position for a little more than a year after serving as assistant director for seven years. “Other people join to go on trips. Others want to play bingo.” 

The center offers three to four major trips each year. This year members have the opportunity to travel to Alaska, New Orleans, Pinegrove Dude Ranch in New York and Mackinac Island in Michigan. The center also offers day trips, including bus trips to the Philadelphia Flower Show and theater performances of “Mama Won’t Fly” and “Camelot.” 

Besides daily classes and services, a staff of six is available to take members to medical appointments, the grocery store and on other errands. Members can also request transportation to and from the center.

Once a month a representative from Highmark Blue Cross is available for medical counseling and resources. The center also makes available AARP tax preparation February through April, AARP defensive driving classes and hosts Blood Bank of Delmarva blood drives. 

The center features a small library, a workout room, an art studio and a large banquet hall. A wide range of classes and activities are available weekly. 

Irene Soroka, vice president of the board, said she discovered the center shortly after retiring to Lewes two years ago. She said she attended an aerobics class just to stay active and learned first hand the type of community the center offers. 

“Everyone in the class was making sure I was doing everything right and not getting left behind,” she said. “After, I sat and thought about it, and I had made some good friends in just one class. To me, it’s a very social thing. I’ve made some really good friends here.”

To celebrate the golden anniversary, the center will host four special events during the year. A luncheon was held in February with music from fan favorite Jones Boys. On Saturday, May 20, a dinner and dance will be held for members, and John Walker, chair of the 50th anniversary committee, hopes all living past board presidents and center directors will attend.

The 50th anniversary celebration will continue with a 50-cent brunch Thursday, Sept. 21, and conclude with a special bingo event Tuesday, Nov. 28, with higher-than-usual prize payouts. 

Future 

As building around Lewes continues to explode, more and more seniors are moving into the area. Nealen said it’s reflected in growing membership at the center. 

To accommodate, Zampini said the board is in the midst of a study to analyze future needs, including possible expansion of the center. 

As with day-to-day operations, Zampini said, the core values of the center are paramount when looking toward future changes and expansion.

“All the core values are critical to us, and we want to preserve them,” he said. “If we expand and get bigger in some way, we do not want to lose that. We want to bring that into the future.”

The Lewes Senior Center is located at 32083 Janice Road, Lewes, in the shadow of the Route 1 Nassau bridge. To learn more about the center, call 302-645-9293 or go to www.lewesseniorcenter.org.