“I started coming to QCH’s Forest Hills Senior Center 18 years ago. My wife and I had just moved into the Forest Hills Coop and we were looking for something to do, so we came here to play dominoes. Now we come all the time and we are members of the NORC program as well.
"In a cozy sunlit room decorated with flower collages on the ground floor at Queens Community House, a sprawling housing complex in the lower-middle-class neighborhood of Forest Hills, a few dozen elders, ranging in age from about 60 to 80 syncopate at their own pace with the brawny aerobics inst
“I grew up in the Pomonok Houses and when I was eligible to join a senior center, I knew I had to come to the Pomonok Senior Center. I’ve made so many friends and I love the trips we take. We have exercise classes and singing classes, and I feel like they just keep us going.
Queens Community House, a $16 million dollar nonprofit offering social services to youth, families and older adults, has officially launched its Friendly Visiting Program.
“I’ve lived in Forest Hills for as long as I can remember, so I was excited to be hired recently as a program aide for QCH's new Friendly Visiting program.
“In September, I turned 105 years old. Because of my age, I can’t really go shopping anymore. So for the last five years, maybe even longer than that, I’ve been receiving meal-on-wheels and case management assistance from QCH.
"I’ve been coming to the Pomonok Senior Center for 31 years. I came specifically for the art classes. I never did any art before this. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to do real art, but now I’ve made more than 100 paintings.
