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Community Corner

Warrenbrook Senior Center Celebrates 35th Anniversary

Local seniors, staff and students came together for the special celebration.

Area seniors, staff and students celebrated the 35th anniversary of the Warrenbrook Senior Center in Warren with music, dancing and shared memories.

For Watchung resident Ramesh Puri, joining the senior center two years ago provided more than an outlet, it changed her outlook on life at age 72.

"They nourish our bodies and they nourish our minds," said Puri, whose husband, Satya, also is a member. "It gives me a new lease on life."

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"This is a home away from home," said Baburam Goyal, a Warren resident who has been a Warrenbrook member since 2000.

Nearly 100 people attended the celebration, including Somerset County Freeholder Peter Palmer,  Watchung Mayor Gerald Mobus, Joanne Fetzko, executive director of the Office on Aging and Disability Services, and Angela Dubivsky, nutrition program/volunteer services administrator for the Office on Aging. Former Warrenbrook managers Alwayne Blechar and Paul DiBianca, as well as students from the Valley View School, also were there.

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The senior center offers daily lunches and a variety of programs from weekly wellness seminars and dance instruction to special workshops and computer classes. The seniors also been involved with various charitable initiatives.

"We are not a place for old people. There's nothing old about us," said Warrenbrook Manager Gwen Chalker. "You may be old age-wise, but (seniors) are not sitting in a chair, we are very active."

Activities for the seniors have included students from Valley View School. Last Christmas, students visited the center for an origami workshop and sang holiday songs. They also were involved in the center's 35th Anniversary celebration.

Some seventh and eighth-grade members of the school's choir attended the anniversary party to sing songs and play classical pieces on the piano. Fifth-graders in the school's Seeing Our Achievements Rise (SOAR) program gave the seniors commemorative books that compiled "lessons learned"  offered by the students, Warrenbrook staff and members.

The students who helped create the "Never Too Late to Live and Learn" books were Kartik Hoover, Kevin Huang,  Amanda Hwang, Andrew Pluta, Michael Stein,  Craig Vergilio, Leda Wang, Olivia Xu and Helen Yang. The cover art for the books was sketched and then painted in watercolor by Ghanshyam Patel, a member since 2007, who said he wanted the picture to reflect the "different kinds of people" at the senior center.

The words of wisdom ranged from the reflective to humorous:

  •   "I've learned that pretending to lose your report card just gets you grounded for four weeks." — age 10 years
  •  "I've learned that it takes skill to make mistakes." — age 10
  • "I've learned that either you control your attitude or it controls you." — age 76
  • "I've learned that it's nice to be 92." — age 92
  • "I've learned that you should enjoy every moment in life. Every second is precious." — age 11
  • "I've learned that people don't remember what you say or do, but how you make them feel." — age 45

Warrenbrook's first incarnation was a senior center that opened in North Plainfield in 1976, making it the third senior center in Somerset County. The facility moved to its present location on Warrenville Road in 1978. With a philosophy of offering "more than just a meal," the center began offering a variety of activities under the management of Anne Richards. Since then, there have been two other managers, Blechar and DiBianca, before Chalker became manager in September 2009.

While Warrenbrook's operating budget is managed by the county, the expenses for its special programs and activities are funded by donations. A benefit concert featuring internationally-acclaimed American guitarist Giovanni DeChiaro will be held at 10:45 a.m. June 9, at the Somerset County Senior Wellness Center, located at 202 Mt Airy Road. Money raised from the $10 per ticket will be used to support activities at any of the county's seven senior centers.

For more information about the concert, call (908) 204-3435.

For more information about Warrenbrook Senior Center, call (908) 753-9440. For online schedules of activities at any of the county's senior centers go to http://www.co.somerset.nj.us/senior.html or call the Office on Aging at 908-704-6346.

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