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Senior citizens celebrate Older Americans Month
Senior Day Services focuses on the new millennium
By Michelle Ku
May is Older Americans Month and it won't pass by forgotten in Cupertino and Sunnyvale.
Last Friday, April 30, Cupertino/Sunnyvale Senior Day Services held a forum on "Senior Services in the New Millennium."
The forum featured experts who discussed how older Americans will be affected by social services, legal issues, future housing choices and community care in the next millennium. In addition to the forum, Senior Day Services also held an open house.
While the Cupertino celebration focused on information on what to expect in the next millennium, Sunnyvale's event focused on entertainment.
The Sunnyvale Senior Center's celebration will be held later this month on Friday, May 21 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The event, with the theme of "The Merry Month of May," is open to adults 50 and older.
The highlight of the day will be a historical lecture given by Dr. Ken Bruce, a former history professor at De Anza College. Bruce, who will be speaking at 10:30 a.m., will discuss springtime and the planting of the orchard trees.
"[Bruce] was selected to speak because he's really popular and a great teacher," said Nancy Hextell, special events coordinator for the Sunnyvale Senior Center.
Following Bruce's speech will be a presentation by Orchard Heritage Park about the area's orchard heritage and orchard families.
In addition to the featured speakers, Tiny Tots will perform by singing and dancing around a May pole.
Also, approximately 35 door prizes, ranging from overnight stays in hotels to San Francisco Giants' tickets, will be raffled off.
In addition to refreshments, the senior center is also offering a $4 barbecue lunch. Although event organizers anticipate a crowd of approximately 350, lunch can only be served to 250 people. A barbershop quartet and a guitarist will entertain the lunch time crowd.
This marks the Sunnyvale Senior Center's 14th Older Americans Month celebration. Older Americans Month was established by President Carter in 1977.
"It's just to give recognition to older adults in the community everywhere," said Kristy Chocholaty, publicity specialist for Sunnyvale Senior Center.
This year, celebrating older citizens in the community is not just a month-long effort. The issue is part of a year-long program by the United Nations.
"The whole year is being designated as the [United Nations] International Year of Older Persons," said Janet Hill, program director of Senior Day Services. "This is a focus for people throughout the world."
The focus on older people will culminate in an international conference on aging in Montreal this September.
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Cupertino, California Since 1947
