Highlights, there's more going on than is listed

Van Cortlandt Senior Center March 2006 3880 Sedgwick Ave., Bronx NY
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
		March 1 9:45 Exercise with Jon Rigai 10:30 Art with Alisha	10:00 Exercise with Sylvia	10:00 Yoga with Neem
10:30 Doriana Aerobics	March 7 9:45 Exercise with Caroline Grant	9:45 Exercise with Jon Rigai 10:30 Art with Alisha	10:00 Exercise with Sylvia	10:00 Yoga with Neem
10:30 Doriana Aerobics	March 14	9:45 Exercise with Jon Rigai 10:30 Art with Alisha	10:00 Exercise with Sylvia	March 17 10:00 Yoga with Neem
10:30 Doriana Aerobics	March 21 9:45 Exercise with Caroline Grant	9:45 Exercise with Jon Rigai	March 23 10:00 Exercise with Sylvia 1:00 Live Music	10:00 Yoga with Neem 1:15 Dance Movement with Caroline Grant
March 27 10:30 Doriana Aerobics	March 28	March 29 8:45 Atlantic City	10:00 Exercise with Sylvia	March 31 10:00 Exercise video, "Ageless Yoga"

Main Dishes Week of February 27 to March 3
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Salmon Burger	Meat Loaf	Turkey Stew	Tilapia	Chicken

Main dish week of February 20-February 24
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Closed	tuna loaf	was supposed to be stuffed cabbage instead was fried fish nuggets	poached salmon	chicken breast

There's more going on than I've listed, come visit.

Highlights Van Cortlandt Senior Center - February
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
		Feb. 1 9:45 Exercise Jon Rigai	Feb. 2 10:00 Exercise with Sylvia	Feb 3 10:00 Yoga with Neem
Feb. 6 10:30 Aerobics with Doriana	Feb. 7 Exercise with Sylvia	Feb. 8 9:45 Exercise Jon Rigai	Feb. 9 9:45 Exercise with Sylvia	Feb 10 10:00 Yoga with Neem 1:15 Dance Movement with Caroline
Feb. 13 10:30 Aerobics with Doriana	Feb. 14 9:45 Exercise with Caroline Grant 10:30 Art with Alisha Saltzman	Feb 15 10:00 Exercise with Sylvia	Feb. 16 9:45 Exercise with Sylvia	Feb 17 10:00 Yoga with Neem
CLOSED	Feb. 21	Feb. 22 9:45 Exercise Jon Rigai 1:00 Jazz Pianist John Halsey	Feb. 23 10:00 Exercise with Sylvia	Feb 24 10:00 Yoga with Neem 1:00 Cancelled Creating Joy with Alisha Saltzman
Feb. 27 10:30 Aerobics with Doriana	Feb. 28 9:45 Exercise with Caroline

The Wednesday music program with John Halsey was great fun. He was accompanied by a singer, a bassist and a drummer.

Lunch served daily at noon

Chess

Yesterday, January 24, I went to Riverdale Senior Services. I had planned to attend a meeting of the Committee on Aging of Community Board 8, but when I got there I saw a chess game going on. I ended up playing chess, had a fun hour and never went to the meeting. I plan to go next Tuesday to play chess.

Picture from USATE 2004.

Robert Weber is Director of Group Services for JASA. He is directly in the chain of command of the senior centers run by JASA.

Neem was at the senior center today to lead yoga. She said she gave a tape Ageless Yoga to the people who administer the center, so on weeks when she isn't scheduled we could follow that tape. Next time that happens I'll try and remember to ask about the tape. Last week, she was on the schedule but the schedule was wrong, she had no contract to teach. Sylvia stepped in and led the class, an action I appreciate.

Reading the DFTA website I learned a few things. The budget analyst for the Bronx is Roy Garcia, 212 442 1237, rgarcia@aging.nyc.gov
PDS Provider Data System
SPP Senior Participant Profiles

Tonight I was the first speaker at the Community Board 8 meeting. Here is what I said: My name is Lora Frisch, I am a resident of the Amalgamated Co-op. My blog is http://lorasara.blogspot.com I hope that at some future date the Committee on Aging will choose the Van Cortlandt Senior Center for a meeting. In the few months I have belonged to the Van Cortlandt Senior Center I have seen the exercise programs cut in half, now some of the cuts are being restored. I have been unable to learn why the cuts were made in the first place. There is no transparency regarding the funding of senior centers. A large chunk of taxpayer dollars goes to senior services and far greater accountability should be shown. I have been able to learn the names of two of the people on the DFTA Senior Advisory Council from the Bronx, Edith Baldwin and Doris Colon, but have no means of contacting them. My understanding is that they are the link between the average senior citizen and DFTA. There should be a straightforward way to express concerns to them. I would like to ask who is on the Aging Committee of Community Board 8 and how does one contact them? The answer to this question was Karen Pesce, I met her and got her phone number.

I called Community Board 8 to sign up as a speaker at the January 10 meeting.

The week of Dec 12-16 menus also revised after being published. I've removed the main dish list for December 6 - 9, 2005 at the Van Cortlandt Senior Center because this week it wasn't possible for the staff to follow the meal plan.

On December 2 the vendor failed to deliver the turkey drumsticks in a timely fashion, so they were served on December 5. My impression is that vendors are not penalized for late deliveries because this happens on average once a week.

Highlights for December, Van Cortlandt Sr. Center

Dec 2, 10 a.m. Yoga with Neem Dec 5, Monday, 10:30 a.m. exercise with Dorianna Dec 6, 9:45, exercise with Caroline Grant: 10:30 a.m. Art with Alisha Saltzman Dec 7, 9:45 a.m. exercise with Jon Rigai Dec 9, 10 a.m. Yoga with Neem Dec 12, 10:30 a.m. Richard Simmons exercise video Dec 14, 10 a.m. exercise with Jon Rigai Dec 16, 10 a.m. Yoga with Trudy Bacon Dec 19, 10:30 a.m. exercise with Dorianna
The subway strike has caused the following programs to be cancelled.

Dec 20, 9:45 a.m. exercise with Caroline Grant, 10:30 a.m. Art with Alisha Saltzman

Mailed to City Councilman Oliver Koppell on November 28, 2005, koppell@council.nyc.ny.us this question: Who are the City Council Bronx appointed members of the Senior Advisory Council? How can they be contacted?

November 30, 2005 called Councilman Koppell's office, 718 549 7300. I failed to get the name of the person who answered the phone. I asked who the Bronx members of the Senior Advisory Council are. The person I spoke to promised to get back to me.

2:50 pm received a call and I now know their names are Doris Colon and Edith Baldwin

I sent this message today to the NYC Department of Aging. It's a holiday weekend, so I'll start counting the days to a reply on Monday. *****************start of message************************* I belong to the Van Cortlandt Village Senior Center. I would like to know what the definition of Group Worker is. What are the qualifications for the job? ****************end of message***************************

Sunday, November 13, I went to the Ethical Culture Society in Riverdale to eat Indian food and hear a concert of classical Indian music. The musicians were from the Kalavant Center. Good food and wonderful music.

Today at the senior center I went to an exercise class led by Dorianna. I found out I'm not the only one who has complained to the Executive Director about the cutback of exercise instructors. The money is there, the priorities are elsewhere.

Tuesday, I worked on a paperclip necklace in Alisha Saltzman's class. Lunch was good, baked fish, baked potato, tomatoes and squash.

I've been working on shaker cards for a swap I'm participating in. You can see one on the left. Wednesday I was in Manhattan, I considered eating at Bereket, changed my mind and did a long walk to Fulton Street where I ate at Country Kabob. Strand bookstore is diagonally across from this kabob place and I then browsed there. They no longer have a craft section, those books are mixed up with the art books. Thursday evening I went to a moderate yoga class led by Trudy Bacon. Friday I went a yoga class at the Van Cortlandt Senior Center that this week, also was led by Trudy.

Warm weather helped make this a special weekend. Saturday night I went to the International Dinner at the co-op where I live. This is a potluck dinner that has been held for about the last twelve years. I made a spicy chicken and potato dish. A neighbor and I went together, the amount of food was overwhelming. One thing that could have been managed better was the entertainment, there were lots of cooperators who wanted to do their thing and everyone should have been limited to one number. Friday evening there was a virtual baby shower on one of my yahoo groups. This was the real card I made and sent to the mother to be. Monday, Doryanna was back to lead the aerobic class at VC Senior Center Tuesday, Carol Grant did her more gentle routine, most done in a chair with many ballet motions as part of the program.

The last two days I've practiced yoga. Yesterday I went to a class led by Trudy Bacon, today I was at the V.C. Senior Center and took a class with Neem. I worked some on some shaker boxes for an exchange I'm on in a scrapbooking group.

Today, Tuesday November 1, I took an art class with Alisha Saltzman at the V.C. Senior Center. She is terrific, her emphasis is on unleashing the creative spirit not technique. Today we created faces on foam ovals that we attached magnets to. We developed the faces with the themes happy or mischievous.

This morning I went to the Van Cortlandt Senior Center, I saw Doryanna and other belly dancers put on a show. Tomorrow I'll see Doryanna again, she teaches the exercise class on Monday mornings.