FACC treats Southminster Center's senior residents with song, dance presentation

Me at right talking with one of the senior residents

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

MORE than 20 residents of the Southminster Senior retirement home were visited by volunteers of the Filipino-American Community of the Carolinas (FACC) last Saturday. 

The residents were joined by the nursing staff and the certified nursing assistants (CNAs) in watching the presentation given by the FACC volunteers.

The FACC headed by its President Malette Aquino-Oliveros and its 1st Vice President Dr. Mike Borja led the performance consisting of songs and dances that were warmly received by the senior residents.

The FACC officers with the volunteer dancers.
FACC president Malette-Aquino Oliveros is fourth from left in front

The program opened with a welcome message from host Tracy Borja and a message by Oliveros about the FACC and the Filipinos at the Carolinas.

“This is the first stop of our volunteer work in senior centers. We also bring to you the culture of the Philippines by way of music and dances,” she said.

In its website at www.southminster.org, the center states its commitment to “integrating health and wellness into daily life (by ensuring that senior) residents (and their loved ones) are freed from unnecessary stress to enjoy a full and enriching life.”

I learned from Rebecca Boakye, one of the nursing assistants, that the senior residents at their wing have their own room. She showed me the rooms which looked like a condo with all the essential facilities for comfortable living.

FACC president Malette Aquino-Oliveros performs with the volunteer dancers

Boakye pointed to the picture frames outside each room which shows the name of the resident and the history of their lives complete with pictures.

One of the residents, 100-year-old Anne McBryde from Laurinburg, Scotland County, told me that she has two daughters and was a teacher. A widow, Anne said she had been at the center for several years now. 

Talkative and gracious, Anne said “I love everybody here.”  Her birthday is on Nov. 8. Madeline Chandler, Southminster Center's activities coordinator, said the FACC volunteers visited the center's hospital care unit.

During the presentation, the FACC volunteers danced the Macarena, the chicken and wobble dances. The senior residents also joined in on the fun, moving on their wheelchairs.

Dr. Mike Borja, a pediatrician, wooed the elders by singing Mike Buble songs which caused some of them to be teary-eyed and wax sentimental. A short video showing about the Philippines followed suit.

The FACC officers pose with the senior residents, their
nursing staff  and the volunteer dancers

The FACC officers and volunteers danced with the senior residents and served their snacks assisted by the nursing staff. 

At the program's end the senior residents and staff were given “back catchers” made from the Philippines.

Other FACC officers who attended the event were Luisa Castaneda,Terry Laabid and Blessel Arcamo-Butler and Susan P. Dennis.

The volunteer dancers were Rocky Robinson with her sister Rutchie Mae, both members of the Charlotte dance troupe and Allyssa Abalos, a representative to the Miss Asia Carolina who got two awards.

FACC's 2nd vice president Kathryn Ronquillo-Antone facilitated the event but was unable to make it though she monitored the program along with MJ Maturan and Lota Mascarenas.

(Susan Palmes-Dennis is a veteran journalist from Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, Northern Mindanao in the Philippines who works as a nanny in North Carolina. This page will serve as a venue for news and discussion on Filipino communities in the Carolinas. Read her blogs on susanpalmesstraightfrom the Carolinas.com. These and other articles also appear at http://www.sunstar.com.ph/author/2582/susan-palmes-dennis)