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By EILEEN P. BROWN ebrown@leader.net
Sunday, January 30, 2000 Page: 1E
“Bingo!”
That traditional winner’s cry is a common sound at a Project: HEAD club
meeting. Paul Krznaric, president of the West Side Seniors Club, said it also
tops the list of members’ favorite club activities.
So, what the heck is Project: HEAD?
No, it’s not some psychiatric experiment dreamed up by a group of men in
white coats. Project: HEAD is a network of local senior citizens clubs
sponsored by the Diocese of Scranton and directed by Catholic Social Services.
HEAD is an acronym standing for Help Experienced Adults Develop.
The West Side Seniors are one of 24 member clubs throughout Luzerne County
that are scattered from Exeter to the Mountaintop area and from the Back
Mountain area to the East End.
Most of the clubs meet weekly or biweekly to exchange information,
socialize and, of course, play bingo.
“I love the people here,” said Lottie Yankowski. “Everyone is so nice.”
Yankowski is one of the oldest active club members, and darn proud of it. Her
sisters, Agnes Karabinas and Helen Klecha, are also members.
“We enjoy coming here and conversing with our friends,” said Mary Ann
Yarosz.
The average Project: HEAD club takes part in a wide variety of social
activities, and the West Side Seniors club is no exception.
“Bingo, trips, parties, just getting together with everyone,” Frances
Sirochman, Betty Sigismondi and Theresa Bosak all agreed when asked about
their favorite club activities.
“We get along very well,” Sigismondi said.
“There’s a lot of very nice people here,” Bosak added.
Some members belong to more than one Project: HEAD club. Sirochman, for
example, is also publicity chairwoman for the Back Mountain Senior Citizens.
SUBHED: Socialization and a lot more
But Project: HEAD is more than just a social organization. Mary Ann Daley,
the network’s director, said it is based on a philosophy conceived in the
mid-1960s by Victorina Peralta, an immigrant from the Philippines who worked
for Catholic Social Services in Philadelphia. Peralta sought to create a
holistic way of organizing senior citizens so that they would have a
well-rounded regimen of activities.
Daley said the local network was established in September 1973, when the
Rev. Donald McAndrews, former executive director of Catholic Social Services,
introduced Peralta and Sister Joan McCabe to the fledgling Five Points Senior
Citizens in Wilkes-Barre. McCabe became the network’s first director.
Although it is sponsored by the diocese, Project: HEAD is by no means an
exclusively Catholic group. “We make no distinction,” Daley said. “Even
though it is a Catholic-sponsored organization, it is open to people of all
faiths who are] from age 50 up.”
As Daley explains it, the philosophy of Project: HEAD is centered on six
points: socialization, health and welfare, culture, education, recreation and
civic action. Each activity involves one or more of these points.
Regular club meetings, for example, provide social time in the form of
refreshments and bingo games. If there is a guest speaker, the meeting may
also touch upon the health, education or civic aspects.
Other activities in which the clubs participate include dinner dances,
retreats, a summer picnic and an annual interfaith service.
Daley meets three times a year with an advisory board composed of members
from the various clubs. The board shares information and plans activities for
the entire organization.
Daley’s favorite network activity is the interfaith service. “This is my
baby,” she said. “I plan this service from scratch every year, and we have a
great turnout.”
This year’s interfaith service will be in April at St. Joseph’s Church in
the Hudson section of Plains Township. It will be hosted by the Plains Senior
Citizens, one of the largest and most active Project: HEAD clubs.
Members also are urged to embrace the six points in activities on their own
time. Daley is a board member of the Luzerne/Wyoming Counties Bureau for the
Aging’s Retired and Senior Volunteer Program. She strongly encourages Project:
HEAD club members to volunteer, either with RSVP or on their own, “even if
it’s just helping your neighbor.”
Members are also encouraged to attend meetings of the Federation of Senior
Citizens Clubs and Organizations, which keeps senior citizens informed about
laws and legislation that may affect them and/or their families. SUBHEDS:
Trips and adventures
But for the average member, at least among the West Side Seniors, the major
draw of Project: HEAD remains the social activities.
Helen Amos, trip coordinator for the club, organizes about 15-20 trips for
the club per year, including monthly excursions to Atlantic City. Upcoming
trips include a day trip to see Jerry Vale at the Three Little Bakers Dinner
Theater in April and an eight-day trip to Biloxi, Miss., in May.
Some of Amos’ favorite past trip destinations included Acapulco, Tennessee,
Florida and Branson, Mo.
Agnes Karabinas, former president of the club, recounted some of her most
amusing memories of club trips.
“When we went to Myrtle Beach, we were stuck in traffic for three hours
because of Hurricane Floyd,” she said.
“We also take a trip to Las Vegas every year, usually in October. One time
we were caught in the airport because there was a bomb scare in New York. You
had to show proper ID before they would let you on the plane. And then my
girlfriend had her wallet stolen.”
Karabinas laughed. “We have a lot of adventures.”
Despite hurricanes, bomb scares and thefts, Amos has no trouble finding
interested members when a new trip is proposed.
Another important activity is spreading cheer to club members who are no
longer able to take part in activities. Each club has a “sunshine person”
who coordinates this effort. Lorraine Welch is the “sunshine lady” for the
West Side Seniors.
Ann Krznaric, publicity chairwoman for the club and wife of president Paul
Krznaric, feels that there is a great concern among members for those who
can’t be present. “There are so many people in our club who are so kind, who
will go and visit sick members.”
The club’s weekly meetings remain at the heart of its activities. “There
we can discuss things that we want to do and should do, and things that aren’t
done,” Mrs. Krznaric said.
“Our biggest activity is to work toward the welfare of the club and its
members,” her husband added.
Longtime member Susan Kawalkewicz, has worn many hats for the West Side
Seniors, including secretary, treasurer and membership chairwoman. For her,
the club is a welcome opportunity to get out of the house and socialize. “The
idea of meeting here, it’s a day out – especially if you live alone,” she
said.
“I’d rather be here than watching the soaps.”