By Roberta Krieger
It’s been a long time (much too long) since I have made an attempt to let you know how we, the seniors, have been doing in times of COVID...
Some of you have been joining us on our Zoom adventures as part of our Senior "check-in" programs on Tuesday (zoom meeting number 896 6576 5785), and Thursday (zoom meeting number 889 6206 6295) mornings at 11am. Although this does not have the same feel as an in-person connection and does NOT include great lunches from our esteemed caterer, Norman Gras, it's the next best option. Thanks to our SUPER Senior Advisor, Cheryl Yablon, with the most-needed assistance from Lori Rubin, we have had some amazing programs during these 45 minute meetings. Even those of us who are technologically impaired are able to partake of these sessions.
We start off just chatting with our friends in a non-structured manner. After a while, we have a short program, such as a virtual visit to a museum, planetarium, botanical garden, famous mansion, etc. Some of the places we’ve gone to recently are the Painted Desert in Arizona as well as "zooming" to New Zealand. All of this is being done from the comfort of our homes, at NO COST to us. FYI ... Cheryl will be happy to accept requests for specific venues you would like to visit.
We also had a special performance by Lori Rubin's dad, a retired Cantor, who played the piano and sang beautifully. He has a compilation of over 1,000 songs and was able to accommodate all of our requests. We were all sorry when he had to end his most delightful session and are hoping he will join us again in the near future.
By the time you get to read this we would have had a program on Medicare Fraud and COVID 19 scam trends, presented by two reps from CARIE (Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly).
Cheryl is working hard on getting different programs for us for our sessions. So far she's getting an A+ for keeping us entertained with a variety of venues and subjects.
The third and final part of each session is Cheryl's most looked forward to by all, tai chi class. We must keep limber in times like this, the best way we can. There are several other classes offered virtually on Zoom for different levels of Senior participation. The Silver Sneakers classes have a registration requirement. All classes are listed in the fitness weekly e-mails as well as online at www.jewishharrisburg.org/virtual-programming. If you have any questions do not hesitate to call Cheryl at 717-236-9555 ext. 3115 (on Wednesdays ) or send her an email at: c.yablon@jewishfedhbg.org. You can also contact the front desk at 717-236-9555, ext 0.
Hope you will join our Senior chats and not miss out on the fun. No excuse about bad weather---this all takes place in a comfy spot on your own turf.
Another update is that our Artist in Residency program, most capably led by Cheryl Kugler, has recommenced. This is the fourth year we have been lucky enough to have these exciting classes. However, this is the first time we are having an option of going virtually, via Zoom, or in person at the JCC. For those who elected to go to the JCC, masks are required and there are very stringent conditions adhered to. No sharing of equipment and a maximum of 3 people to a table. For those of us who chose to work from home, a bag of supplies was given to us which will be sufficient to use for most of the program. As of this writing, we have room for two or three more people who might be interested. Just contact Cheryl and she will fill you in on all the details. All I can say about this program is that this is my FOURTH year, so that should speak for itself. One does NOT have to have any artistic ability. If that were the case, I would have left after year one, if I would have lasted that long. You will be using your mind as well as your hands and it is truly a wonderful opportunity. Cheryl Kugler is a well-known artist in our area and we are very fortunate that she is back with us, once again.
Stay well and have a sweet and healthy New Year!