Seniors in McKeesport celebrate Christmas in July

The Allegheny County Department of Human Services Area Agency on Aging prepared 900 senior care packages.

By MEGAN TROTTER
TribLive

A year after retiring, Carol Soroka moved to McKeesport to help care for her 94-year-old mother. Since relocating, she’s become a regular at Lifespan’s Mon Valley Senior Community Center, where she said she’s found connection within the community.

“The senior center is about camaraderie. A lot of people would be very introverted, I think, and being around different people and meeting other people is very beneficial,” said Soroka, who is 76.

Soroka was among LifeSpan members who gathered Friday for the organization’s second annual Christmas in July event.

Volunteers assembled care packages for older adults across Allegheny County through a partnership between the Allegheny County Department of Human Services Area Agency on Aging, Allegheny Health Network Neighborhood Hospital and Highmark Bright Blue Futures.

Kannu Sahni, vice president of Community Affairs at Highmark Health, said the Christmas in July initiative helps ensure older adults in Allegheny County receive essential items that support wellbeing and comfort. The donations directly assist people who may otherwise go without these everyday necessities.

“The kits themselves are very comprehensive now. They range all the way from hygiene supplies to jigsaw puzzles to coloring books,” Sahni said. “This will conclude about 900 kits today. We’ve already built 700 there with the Allegheny County ready for distribution, and today we’ll assemble 200 more.”

The Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging’s Ombudsman Program team will help distribute the care kits to older adults in need, alongside the agency’s case managers providing in-home services, Harding said. The Ombudsman Program, works to provide older adults and their families with needed resources and support.

There are 42 senior centers throughout Allegheny County, run by the Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging. Center Supervisor Amy Marcic said Lifespan’s Mon Valley Senior Community Center in McKeesport has more than 300 active members, ages 60 plus.

Hannah Harding, assistant director of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services’ Office on Aging Services, said McKeesport is a priority area for the agency. Because the senior center has a large and active membership, the department chose it to host the event.

“That social connection is so important for everyone, and especially for older adults,” Harding said. “We see direct connections between people’s physical health, mental health, and that social connection is just so very important.”

Marcic said LifeSpan is focused on creating a place where older adults can gather, connect and stay active. The senior center offers daily lunches, bingo and card games, group trips to ball games or the casino, exercise classes, health screenings and outings to local restaurants.

Soroka said Marcic also encourages members to participate in the center’s monthly meetings, where they can provide feedback and suggest ideas for future events.

“She gets insight from everybody that’s a member, which I think is wonderful. It’s not like somebody’s directing you to ‘we’re going to have this, we’re going to have that’,” Soroka said.

Inside the building Friday, tables draped in red and green tablecloths stretched the length of the event room. Before volunteers got to work assembling care packages, a summer-dressed Santa Claus led LifeSpan members in a spirited rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas — with a humorous twist.

“We had 12 different volunteers come up, and they held up the signs for the different days,” Soroka said. “They had to make a sound like a cow or whatever while everybody then sang the song, so it was cute.”

Kathy Sloan, 94, said LifeSpan’s events provide opportunities for participation, which encourages the area’s seniors.

“We’re willing to do nutty things,” Sloan joked, about the spirited crowd singing on Friday.