September 29, chicken was scheduled but now salisbury steak has replaced it. September 27, I wasn't at the center but the combination of beef brisket and after lunch entertainment packed them in, more than 120 people came. September 22, chicken failed to be delivered, defrosted stuffed cabbage substituted
August 30, fresh fish
August 28, September 18, kielbasa
August 22, chicken salad
Week 2, Wednesday August 9, fresh fish; Friday August 11, BBQ Chicken; the disgusting choices of kielbasa or egg salad coupled with beans and cabbage is scheduled for Thursday.
For the first week of August, there are only two meals worth mentioning, fresh fish on Tuesday and basil chicken on Friday.
Reality CheckOn Friday, August 4 the choices were stuffed cabbage and egg salad.
On August 1 I went to the adult day camp at the Kaufman Campground. Fortunately, I brought my own sandwich. The main dish was lasagna, made with tomato paste, over cooked lasagna noodles and something else. I had the salad and vegetables and a little sample before tossing the lasagna.

Van Cortlandt Senior Center, 3880 Sedgwick Ave. July 17 - July 21 Main Dish, lunch served at noon, contribution $1.50
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
White Fish Loaf	Knockwurst or Egg Salad	Turkey Cutlet with Mushroom Gravy	Fresh Fish	Roasted Chicken

Van Cortlandt Senior Center September 2006, 3880 Sedgwick Ave., Bronx NY
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
				1) Trip to Bronx Zoo
Closed-Labor Day	5) 9:45 Caroline Grant, Dance Movement	6) 9:15 Farmers Market at Botanical Gardens 10:30 Art with Alisha		8) 10:00 Yoga with Neem Dewji
11) 10:30 Aerobics with Doriana Castro	12) White Plains Shopping Trip	13) Atlantic City 10:30 Art with Alisha	14) 1:30 Norm Curtis, keyboard	15) 10:00 Yoga with Neem Dewji
18) 10:30 Aerobics with Doriana Castro, canceled	19) 9:45 Caroline Grant, Dance Movement	20) Creating Joy with Alisha		22) 10:00 Yoga
25) 10:30 Aerobics with Doriana Castro	26) Dance Movement with Caroline		28) Trip to Botanical Gardens 11:00 Scrapbook with Lora

August Schedule
Friday August 4, 10 a.m. Trudi Bacon conducted the yoga class.
Monday August 7, 10:30 a.m. Doriana leads aerobics
Tuesday August 8, 9:45 a.m. Caroline leads dance movement
Wednesday August 9 10:30 a.m. Alisha encourages art
Friday August 11, 10 a.m. Neem leads yoga
Wednesday August 16, 10:30 a.m. Alisha Diamond Saltzman teaches art
Friday August 18, 10 a.m. Neem leads yoga
Tuesday August 22, 9:45 a.m. Caroline leads dance movement
Thursday August 24, 10:00 a.m. Trudi Bacon lead yoga
Friday August 25, Bronx Zoo trip - heavy downpours and tornado warning caused the trip to be cancelled.

I am happy to report that every Monday in August Doriana Castro is scheduled to do aerobics at 10:30 a.m. She wasn't able to make it on August 28, we saw a Richard Simmons video. I enjoyed it but Doriana's classes are unique.

Van Cortlandt Senior Center, 3880 Sedgwick Ave. Main Dish, lunch served at noon, contribution $1.50
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Veal	Fresh fish	Stuffed cabbage	Salmon Salad	BBQ Chicken

I received an email from Oliver Koppell, my city councilman. Part of it states: [KoppellReport] city budget .... Senior centers also benefited from a long-awaited increase of 35 cents per meal in their food budget and an increase in their transportation budget.... ******************************************************************** We'll see if the menus in the weeks to come reflect any changes.

July 3 - 7 2006, Main Dish, donation $1.50 Van Cortlandt Senior Center, 3880 Sedgwick Ave., Bronx NY
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Tilapia	Closed	Sliced turkey breast	BBQ Chicken	Turkey Burger

Van Cortlandt Senior Center July 2006, 3880 Sedgwick Ave., Bronx NY
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
July 3 10:00 Painting 10:30 Exercise 1:15 Movie High ozone alert at midday	Happy Fourth of July!	July 5 9:45 Exercise with Sylvia 11:00 Knitting with Marge 1:15 Current Events with P. Heller intense downpour in the morning	July 6 10:00 Exercise 1:00 Music with the Generation Gap	July 7 10:00 Yoga with Neem 11:00 Book Review with F. Emenkel 1:15 Bingo
10) 10:00 Painting 10:30 Aerobics with Dorianna 1:00 Program Committee 1:30 Short Story with P. Heller	11) 9:45 Dance Movement with Caroline 10:45 Conversational Yiddish with Sarah 1:00 Scrapbook with Lora	12) 9:45 Exercise with Sylvia 11:00 Knitting with Marge 1:15 Current Events with P. Heller	13) 10:00 Exercise 10:45 Sing Along with Marilyn 1:00 Bingo	14) 10:00 Yoga with Neem 1:15 Birthday party for Roz and Irving
17) 10:00 Painting 10:30 Aerobics with Dorianna 1:30 Short Story with P. Heller bad air day, ozone	18) 9:45 Exercise 11:00 I remember when with Elsie 1:00 Scrapbook with Lora Unhealthy air alert	19) 9:45 Exercise 10:30 Art with Alisha 11:00 Knitting with Marge 1:15 Current Events with P. Heller	20) 10:00 Exercise 11:00 JPAC , Bola Aribidesi, Speaker 1:00 Birthday Party with Alan Bates' Musical Percussion!	21) 10:00 Yoga with Neem 11:00 Folktales with Sharon 1:00 Line Dancing with Rose Meir
24) 10:00 Painting 10:30 Aerobics with Dorianna 1:30 Short Story with P. Heller	25) 9:45 Dance Movement with Caroline 10:45 Conversational Yiddish with Sarah 1:00 Scrapbook with Lora	26) 9:45 Exercise 10:30 Creating Joy with Alisha 11:00 Knitting with Marge 1:15 Welcoming and Sunshine Committee	27) 10:00 Exercise 10:45 Sing Along with Marilyn 1:00 Bingo	28) Trip to Cross County Mall
31) 10:00 Painting 10:30 Aerobics with Dorianna 1:15 Movie

June 26 to June 30 Van Cortlandt Senior Center 3880 Sedgwick Ave., Bronx, NY
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Chef Salad	Baked Fish with Dill	Chicken Cutlet	Turkey Meat Loaf	BBQ Chicken

I sent a copy of my message to DFTA to JASA. Amy Chalfy, Bronx District Director, JASA contacted me and assured me there are no plans to shut the center down. It's that old problem that DFTA only measures the success of senior centers by the attendance at the lunch. There's a lot more to the Van Cortlandt Senior Center than lunch. Someone from DFTA also called me and said there are no plans to shut the center. ******************************************************************************* I sent this message to the NYC Department for the Aging today. There are rumors that the Van Cortlandt Senior Center in the Bronx might be shut down. I hope not, as I attend several times a week. If it is closed, would JASA be able to keep the money allocated for this center? I hope the arrogant ones who run JASA would pay a price if they shut Van Cortlandt down.

Van Cortlandt Senior Center June 19-30 2006, 3880 Sedgwick Ave., Bronx NY
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
June 19 10:30 Dorianna - aerobics Bad Air Day	June 20 9:45 Caroline Grant - dance movement	June 21 9:45 Jon Rigai - stretching		June 23 10:00 Neem - Yoga
June 26 10:30 Dorianna - aerobics	June 27 9:45 Caroline Grant - dance movement	June 28 9:45 Exercise with Sylvia		June 30 10:00 Neem - Yoga

Jon Rigai announced that after June 21 he will be gone for five weeks. Someone should take his place, I'll post as soon as I learn the new schedule.
Friday, June 23, there was a smaller than usual group for lunch. Last night the NORC office based at the Amalgamated Co-Op had sponsored a dinner and boat ride around Manhattan. People who went on that cruise didn't return home until midnight. Apparently, a large number were too tired to come to the center today.

The times they are a changin'

On May 24 Bob Dylan will be 65. The hippie generation begins to take over the senior centers. These places are long overdue for change. Exercise, nutrition and the belief in self empowerment. No father knows best. That means the day of the arrogant policy planners in organizations such as JASA (Jewish Association for Services for the Aged) is ending. You are answerable to us, the people who receive services you are paid to deliver.

We had a community meeting at the V.C. senior center. The Dept. for the Aging, NYC only judges centers by the number of people who eat lunch. Other issues that have impact on the quality of the life of the elderly are hard to measure and are ignored. Once again the issue was not enough people showing up for the congregate meal, average 70, need 80 to be an adequate senior center. The executive director announced that complaints about the small quantity of food per meal were being addressed and that portions were now larger.

When it was open mike time, I suggested we have more of a relationship with the elementary school children who are upstairs in the same building. For instance, sharing our histories. Someone amended what I said to say we should encourage the youngsters and their parents to tell us about them. Good idea.

May 11, students from the Solomon Schecter School were due at 11:15 am for a Mother's Day Program. I waited until 11:45, left. I saw them arrive but continued walking. It was inconsiderate of them to be half an hour late. It interfered with serving lunch, and the center is on a tight budget, overtime pay is out of the question.

I sent this message to the NYC Dept. for the Aging from their website:

I would like to learn how meals are funded at senior centers. I belong to the Van Cortlandt Village Senior Center sponsored by JASA. I did a search with the keyword meals, and all recent references were unavailable.
May 6, no reply to my question. May 12, no reply.

Van Cortlandt Senior Center May 2006, 3880 Sedgwick Ave., Bronx NY
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
May 1 10:30 Dorianna, aerobics	9:45 Caroline, dance exercise	9:45 Jon Rigai, exercise		10 Neem, Yoga
10:30 Dorianna, aerobics		9:45 Jon Rigai, exercise 10:30 Art with Alisha		10 Neem, Yoga
10:30 Dorianna, aerobics		9:45 Jon Rigai, exercise 10:30 Art with Alisha		10 Neem, Yoga
10:30 Dorianna, aerobics	9:45 Caroline, dance exercise	9:45 Jon Rigai, exercise 10:30 Creating Joy with Alisha		10 Neem, Yoga
May 29 Center Closed	9:45 Caroline, dance exercise	9:45 Jon Rigai, exercise

The center will be open on Sunday, May 7

April 21, 2006 The VanCortlandt Senior Center was closed today. Nasty surprise, no previous notice. The excuse on the door was that the water was turned off so that a water meter could be installed. This is something that is usually preplanned, the people running the center should have been told in advance. It was irresponsible of the people who own the building not to notify the senior center administration.

The latest Norwood News has this article about senior meals in the Bronx Senior Meals

Council Member Maria del Carmen Arroyo is the new chair of the Aging Committee.

Van Cortlandt Senior Center April 2006, 3880 Sedgwick Ave., Bronx NY
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
April 3 10:00 Painting with Larry Alboum	April 4 10:00 Exercise with Caroline Grant	April 5 9:45 Exercise with Jon Rigai 10:30 Art with Alisha	April 6 11:00 History with Sam	April 7 1:15 Line Dancing with Rose and Meir Beer
April 10			Closed	Closed
April 17 10:30 Senior Fitness with Doriana		Closed	Closed	10:00 Yoga with Neem This did not take place due to center being closed
April 24 10:30 Senior Fitness with Doriana	10:00 Exercise with Caroline Grant	9:45 Exercise with Jon Rigai 10:30 Art with Alisha		10:00 Yoga with Neem

I didn't eat at the senior center today. The main dish was kielbasa with cabbage and onions. A poor choice to give elderly people.

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"