Mineola Leisure Club News

By Mary Ann Plaia

A winning combination of varied enjoyable trips, celebrations of special occasions, club emphasis on health care and attention to those less fortunate than ourselves were highlights of the November Leisure Club schedule.

Activities of the Leisure Club began with a return trip to the ever-exciting Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut. Members have consistently enjoyed this pleasurable outing. A wonderful performance of Disney on Ice, accompanied by a luncheon at the Garden Room of the Milleridge Inn, always a delightful place to dine, was a change of pace trip for club members on Nov. 19. Kudos to Dorothy Bedson for planning both of these excursions.

A special celebration to commemorate Thanksgiving was planned by President Alice Grodotzke for the Nov. 18 meeting. Members were treated to a delicious turkey sandwich, courtesy of the club. Festive table parties added to the upbeat tone of the day. A fifty-fifty drawing enabled several seniors to win prizes. A chance to work off the calories enjoyed at this luncheon was provided by Josephine, who lead the Stretch and Tone class that ensued. As usual, our monthly recognition of members who have observed birthdays or anniversaries during the month, was conducted by Bernice Schiller, who read horoscopes and raffled off wine to the lucky honorees as they enjoyed a special occasion cake.

Perhaps the most significant celebration of the month was sponsored by the Mineola Chamber of Commerce. At a "We Are Mineola" dinner held at Jericho Terrace, Leisure Club member, Blanche Paris was honored for her community service. She had been nominated for this honor by club leaders, who consider this nonagenarian an inspiration and role model for her service as an active member and office holder of this senior citizen group. It was an evening of great pride as all Mineola organizations participated in this effort to galvanize our community to service.

With the desire to keep seniors abreast of the latest developments regarding health care, on Nov. 11 Maggie Marinelli of Winthrop-University Hospital's Diabetes Care Center gave an informative lecture on proper nutrition. A Line Dancing exercise program followed the talk and helped emphasize the fact that diet and exercise are two components of sugar control. In the same vein, earlier in the month, nursing students from Molloy College were on hand to monitor blood pressures as well as to provide information for seniors: Health Proxies, Living Wills and Advance Directives. Stretch and Tone concluded the day's activities.

Kitty Francis, a former resident of Mineola and Leisure Club member, celebrated her birthday with old friends at the Nassau Extended Care Nursing Home in Hempstead. The Outreach group gifted her with a lovely plant and exchanged some memorable stories with Kitty. She enjoyed singing along with the group led by Charles Melvin. Other residents who participated in the entertainment enjoyed the baked goods brought by Virginia Hendricks, Outreach coordinator. As in the past this was a gratifying experience for the Outreach group. Similarly, members of the Leisure Club were reached out to by the Nassau County Bar Association. This group invited all seniors who were facing the holiday alone to partake of a free Thanksgiving Dinner.

And so another month has gone by with the Leisure Club as active as ever, performing acts of charity, enjoying social events and providing the membership with educational and health data.