By Adam Grobman
After nearly a year-and-a-half of logging on for virtual meetings, the Harrisburg JCC’s Senior Adult Club members will return to their home-away-from-home in the Mary Sachs Auditorium for in-person lunches each Tuesday and Thursday beginning August 31.
“I can hardly wait,” says Cheryl Yablon Senior Adult Club Director. “I can’t wait to see everybody again and get back to events and socializing with our members.”
Members have been keeping in touch throughout the pandemic, with a core group of 25 – 30 checking in regularly through JCC@Home’s Senior Check-In calls twice each week. Others returned to the building as early as last fall for the Artist-in-Residency program.
Still, the in-person lunches, which are typically accompanied by a speaker or special program, offer an opportunity for those who prefer face-to-face interaction to reconnect.
“Every time I see somebody that I haven’t seen all this time, it’s like a reunion,” says Nancy Bayuk, President of the Senior Adult Club. “I hope everybody feels comfortable coming back and that we can pick up where we left off.”
With most members vaccinated, the Federation’s Medical Advisory Team felt it would be safe to resume in-person meetings. But realizing that some members may not be comfortable unmasking to eat with neighbors, the Senior Adult Club adjusted.
“We’ll have Grab-N-Go lunches available to those who would prefer to eat at home,” Cheryl says. The COVID Relief Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation is helping to subsidize the additional costs of this added service for the first six months of the program.
Many of the other details, such as masking and social distancing/capacity requirements, are to be determined closer to the programming date.
With lunch served at noon, grab-n-go lunches should be available by 12:30pm. Club memberships are $20/year. Dues for 2022 can be paid any time beginning in August, but must be paid by our Thanksgiving luncheon, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, to be able to sign up for 2022 Theatre Day Trips. If you become a new member this summer, your dues will be credited to 2022 and you will get the remainder of 2021 free.
Other upcoming Senior Adult Club programming includes the resumption of Theatre Day Trips and a five-day excursion throughout Vermont (currently on waitlist). For more information on the Senior Adult Club, contact Cheryl at 717-236-9555 x 3115 or c.yablon@jewishfedhbg.org.