FILIPINO SENIORS CELEBRATE ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH IN THORNCLIFFE PARK-ONTARIO

By  Susan Llanera
Thorncliffe Park-ON-Canada
July 2, 2016



Fittingly, June is a month for Seniors and May is Asian Heritage Month. Recently, the Seniors Web, a Centre of Wellness, Engagement and Belonging, organized the event for Seniors to celebrate Asian Heritage Month, as well as, honouring the Seniors.


On June 10, 2016, the successful event was held at the Overlea Seniors building located at #12 Thorncliffe Park Drive. Filled with Seniors, Performers and TNO staff, the recreation room was packed with an attendance of over 100 guests. It was indeed a memorable occasion for the Seniors in the community.

          "Thorncliffe Park is a vibrant, growing and strong community
          in east central Toronto. More and more people are choosing
          to stay and make their lives in this  neighbourhood. At the
          same time, we continue to enjoy the privelege of receiving
          newcomers to Canada. The population of Thorncliffe Park
          is highly educated, motivated and full of ideas about how to
          achieve their own goals and build a healthy neighbourhood."

Living in this vibrant community, I have built my family for over 30 years in this neighbourhood. Thorncliffe Park is the best place to be. After 36 years as a civil servant, I decided to take a voluntary separate program. Travels to Caribbean, Asia, Mediterranean, Europe, Holy Land, visit to the Philippines and recently an amazing trip in Dominican Republic did not stop me from the passion I didn't realize is the fulfillment I am looking for, which is doing volunteerism. Although, I have always volunteered in so many community events since 1998, and will continue to do so, I found Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office (TNO), located in my own backyard.  I thought that by giving back to the community and engaging with the people where I reside especially with our vulnerable Seniors, is not only gaining the most rewarding opportunity but also fulfilling another important step.

          "Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office (TNO) is a multicultural,
          multi-service agency providing a wide range of community
          services primarily to residents of Thorncliffe Park, with
          specific programs serving surounding areas including Don
          Mills, Flemingdon, Crescent Town, St. James Town, and other
          areas of the former Borough of East York."

Timely, appointed as the Project Support Coordinator by Alberto Rodil, TNO's Elder Person Consortium (EPC), Senior Project Coordinator, I am also a Building Ambassador and Seniors Building Ambassadors Coordinator, in which I supervise and monitor the work of all seniors building ambassadors.

          "The Seniors' WEB and the EPC are a partnership committed
          to supporting Seniors to connect socially, access services and
          resources and improve overall quality of life for a healthier
          and more resilient TNO Vision: Seniors in Thorncliffe Park
          are empowered to thrive independently and socially."

A Project and designed by Alberto Rodil, here is a list of some of the Seniors' Programs, in which I assist in coordinating and overseeing the Seniors' Activities under the Elder Person Consortium's (EPC) Project:

Monday: 9:30am - 10:30am  FIT FOR LIFE
Monday: 10:30am - 11:30am           SHIBASHI
Monday: 3:45pm - 4:45pm              CHINESE NETWORKING CAFE

Tuesday: 9:30am - 10:30am   SHIBASHI
Tuesday: 9:30am - 10:30am   THERAPEUTIC INDIAN EXERCISE

Wednesday: 9:00am - 5:00pm         CHIROPODY CLINIC by Louis Fliss
Wednesday: 10:00am - 11:00am     BODY FLEX / SHIBASHI (alternating)
Wednesday: 3pm - 4pm          FITNESS, HEALTHY HEART & BODY BALANCE

Thursday: 10:00am - 11:00am         YOGA for WOMEN
Thursday: 2:00pm - 3:00pm   GOLDEN AGE FITNESS CLASS/YOGA (alt)

Friday: 10:00am - 12:30pm    DROP-IN ACTIVITIES
                    Every Last Friday of the Month is SPECIAL BINGO game
Friday: 3:00pm - 4:00pm        FITNESS, HEALTHY HEART & BODY BALANCE

Friday: 12:45pm - 2:45pm SOCIAL NETWORKING ACTIVITIES Line-Dancing, Folk Dancing, Sewing, Jewelry Making, Gardening, Story-Telling, Arts & Crafts

WORKSHOPS: designated DAY of the Month

Other Services: FREE-Hearing Test for Seniors, Direct Services (one-on-one), Ongoing FREE Homebound Program for Frail Seniors in Thorncliffe Park
For information, please contact Alberto Rodil at 416-421-3054 ext. 230

          "Once a farm, then a racetrack, but now bustling with young and
          shiny youth mingling with GOLDEN SENIORS, TNO is proud to
          be part of a legacy of welcoming newcomers to the Thorncliffe Park
          community and beyond, helping them settle and achieve their
          dreams and aspirations. TNO is also proud to serve clients from
          all over the world, making us a world class arrival community
          rich in diversity."

"I want to make a difference on the lives of others by giving them the best possible services. The smiles in the faces of clients that I served are the spices that motivate me to work wholeheartedly, tirelessly and diligently", said Alberto Rodil. Ditto!

Alberto Rodil is a recipient of 2012 United Way Bhayana Family Foundation Award for Dedication Category and 2014 recipient of RBC's TOP 25 Outstanding Canadian Immigrant Award.

In dedication to my beautiful and loving mother, Grace San Juan, one of the Founders of PILLARS ASSOCIATION in Toronto, who inspired me to write this article and who is my sole inspiration to volunteer to the Seniors' Programs. (sl)