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Seniors Celebrate At Boys & Girls Club
Members of the Raices Senior Center gathered at the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens for their annual Christmas party Dec. 22nd. The seniors use the club facilities Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for dance and exercise classes, bingo and board games and similar activities. They are also served a hot meal as part of the program. Dayan Maharaj, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club, noted that to the best of his knowledge the senior center is a walk-in operation open to all elderly people, although many of the members are of Hispanic background. The Boys and Girls Club is open to children age six to 17, and Maharaj said that the senior center's use of the facilities is an excellent foundation for bridging the generation gap. "They share our space and we try to come up with intergenerational activities that bring the kids and the seniors together," he said. "At thanksgiving, for example, we served 200 dinners. The seniors prepared the food and the kids served it. Both groups had a wonderful time." The Raices Christmas party included special guest City Council Speaker Peter Vallone, who has a long-standing connection to the club. Vallone's father, Judge Charles Vallone, was a founder of the club. "Peter Vallone grew up in this club," Maharaj noted. "He got his lifeguard certificate here and I think for a time he was a lifeguard at our pool. He's also a strong supporter of the Raices. He comes to a lot of their activities.
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