For nearly three decades, Nancy Codispoti has been one of the people quietly shaping the experiences that make Rockville Centre’s Sandel Senior Center a vital part of the community.
Her journey with the village began in 1995, when she became a professional services contractor teaching fitness classes at the Recreation Center. After years of leading classes there, she began teaching at the Sandel Center in 2003 while raising her four sons in Rockville Centre.
In 2013, then-Sandel Center Director Chris O’Leary recognized Codispoti’s talents and offered her the opportunity to oversee the Center’s programming. She later became deputy director in 2016, serving in that role for seven years before being appointed director in 2023.
Today, Codispoti leads a center where residents find more than programs and activities. The Sandel Center provides opportunities for fitness, socialization, friendships and connection for residents ranging from their 60s through their 100s.
“I really feel in my department we service the whole community,” Codispoti said. “I get countless calls from family members asking for the seniors, where are they, and telling me that they have a better life than them.”
For Codispoti, the most meaningful part of her work is not simply creating programs, but building relationships with the people who walk through the Center’s doors.
“It’s not necessarily the programs and all of that that we do behind the scenes, but actually sitting and listening and hearing them and knowing their stories and learning their stories,” she said.
The Sandel Center currently has 300 members and welcomes more than 100 visitors each day through exercise classes, special events, trips and other activities. Codispoti said rebuilding that sense of community after the coronavirus pandemic was one of the Center’s biggest challenges.
During that time, the Center created fitness programming through local television, developed a newsletter and later expanded programs and trips as members returned.
“I think that everyone really feels at home when they get here,” Codispoti said. “This is their home away from home.”
One resident who left a lasting impression on Codispoti was the late Lily Carroll, whose kindness and appreciation for the Center stayed with her.
“She came here with the biggest smile on her face and enjoyed every program, every volunteering that she could possibly do,” Codispoti said. “She was the kindest and the happiest spirit and so grateful for this center to be in her life.”
Codispoti said her years working with residents have reinforced the importance of compassion.
“Patience and kindness is just the universal language,” she said. “I honestly just know how important it is to treat people with patience, kindness and dignity.”
Her connection to Rockville Centre extends beyond her work at the Sandel Center. Codispoti and her husband, Joseph, moved to the village in 2001 after years of commuting from Howard Beach while she worked in the community. They raised their four sons here, and she said the village’s multigenerational connections are what make it special.
“It’s an age-old saying where everybody knows your name, which is really amazing,” Codispoti said. “To see those multiple generations living in this community, I think it’s really special.”
After more than 30 years serving Rockville Centre residents, Codispoti remains motivated by the same thing that brought her to the Sandel Center years ago.
“I love it,” she said. “I love them.”
