For members of the Glen Cove Senior Center, friendships formed over lunches, exercise classes, trips and birthday celebrations have become an important part of their lives. Now, those memories will have a permanent place on the page.
The Senior Center will debut its first yearbook Aug. 21, compiling photographs from events, programs and memorable moments throughout 2024 and 2025. The book will be released during the center’s monthly birthday celebration, a tradition that brings members together on the third Friday of each month.
Christine Rice, executive director of the Senior Center, said the idea grew from wanting members to have something tangible that captured their experiences and, more importantly, the friendships they have developed at the center.
“This Senior Center has created an environment where they can make friends that they never thought they would be continuing to make,” Rice said. “They all say, I’ve had best friends in my life. These people are really now my best friends.”
Those relationships can become increasingly important as people grow older, Rice said, particularly as longtime friends die or move away to live closer to family. At the center, she has watched new friendships develop into relationships that extend beyond its walls.
The yearbook was designed with those connections in mind. Rice said organizers worked to include as many members as possible, whether in individual or group photographs. After considering a black-and-white format, they ultimately chose color.
Rice recalled growing up in a home where her mother kept shelves of family photo albums that she and her siblings would pull out and look through together. She hopes the yearbook can offer members a similar opportunity.
“Being able to look back and even seeing yourself, no matter who you are, seeing yourself in a picture with your friends, it just gives you a really good feeling,” Rice said. “And it gives you memories that you can keep forever.”
Corinne Kaufman, a member of the Glen Cove SAGE Foundation board, said the yearbook can also serve as a connection to the center for members who may temporarily be unable to attend.
“I think it’s a real touchstone, particularly if somebody’s had surgery or they’re not able to come here,” Kaufman said. “They can reminisce about people that they’ve met and things that they’ve done here. It has value.”
The center produced 250 copies with support from sponsors, allowing it to provide yearbooks to members. There is also space in the back for signatures. Members can pick up their copies from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 21, including those unable to stay for lunch and the birthday celebration.
For Glen Cove resident Laraine Peterson, 85, who has been a member for 12 years, the center has already become a second home.
After retiring from a 48-year career at a hospital, Peterson said she struggled with suddenly having nowhere to go each morning. Her daughter eventually brought her to the Senior Center.
Peterson soon began participating in exercise programs and trips, including visits to Broadway shows.
“It makes you feel like you’re at home, like you belong here,” Peterson said. “This is the best place that could happen to me.”
That sense of belonging is also reflected in the monthly birthday celebrations, started by former councilwoman Joan Meehan, that will accompany the yearbook’s debut.
During the monthly celebrations, County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton presents red roses to members celebrating birthdays and invites each to share what they are thankful for and their advice for living a long and happy life. Members then sing “Happy Birthday” in several languages.
DeRiggi-Whitton said she began giving roses while serving as the senior liaison on the Glen Cove City Council because she wanted members to have something to take home from the celebration. Red, she said, symbolizes the love the center’s community has for them.
“Having everyone who is celebrating state something about the secret to a happy life has truly enriched my life over the years,” DeRiggi-Whitton said. “My one regret is that we didn’t videotape these pieces of advice, because they are truly priceless.”
The Glen Cove SAGE Foundation, the center’s fundraising arm, will continue supporting its programs with a golf outing Oct. 1 at the Glen Cove Golf Course, followed by dinner at The Metropolitan at 5 p.m.
