Revitalized senior center opensFriday, November 5, 2010
BY MARK J. BONAMO
Hackensack Chronicle
MANAGING EDITOR
HACKENSACK — A multicultural mix of food, dancing and fun marked the Oct. 29 opening of the new Americas Unidas Multicultural Senior Activity Center in Hackensack.
The center, the oldest of its kind in Bergen County and one of the oldest in the state, was founded in 1974 and adopted its present name in 1994. According to Noreen Best, assistant director of the Bergen County Division of Community Development, the center "flip-flopped" renovated sites with the Bergen County Superior Court Probation Department, located at 133 River St., and the new location at 101 Hudson St.
"This is a better location for us," said Best. "We were able to renovate it to meet our needs now."
The center hosts a range of activities and programs, including ESL and citizenship classes, belly dancing, yoga, exercise classes and a nutrition program.
The nearly 150 attendees at the center’s opening reflected Hackensack’s diversity. Colombian music was followed by Korean folk dancing, with women wearing traditional Korean hanbok dresses, floating like flowers on a serene lake.
For center director Maria Tihui Sanjurjo, the center’s prime purpose is clear.
"We keep the seniors physically and mentally active," said Sanjurjo. "That’s what we’re here for."
"We are so grateful for this place," said regular center visitor Rose Asaf, who has been coming to the Hackensack center for a decade. "We are a big senior community here. Now we have a place of our own."
E-mail: bonamo@northjersey.com
