SEBASTIAN — It would be hard to find a Christmas party that radiated more warmth and good cheer than the Sebastian Senior Center’s holiday luncheon Dec. 14. Garlands adorned the windows, holiday figurines rested on every available surface, a large banner proclaimed, “Welcome Home, Seniors!” (for the returning Snowbirds), and in one corner, a graceful fir glowed with colored lights and a multitude of ornaments.
Of the 200-plus Senior Center members, 50 or so had gathered, bearing covered dishes to place on the red-clad buffet tables, filling the room with enticing aromas. At each new arrival, greetings and hugs were exchanged, the room began to fill, and soon the group’s president, Leonard Matyka, was adding more chairs and tables. Everyone was festively dressed, mostly in red, with plenty of sparkly holiday adornment, their conversations generously punctuated with laughter.
Matyka delivered a heartfelt welcome and profusely thanked all who had helped make the Center, and the party, successful, among them Janet Graham, Nancy Jurentkuff and Evelyn Porn, who had decorated the room.
Mike Patel, who owns a convenience store at CR512 and Wimbrow, has donated five cases of water to the Center every month. With a grin, Matyka added, “And I want to thank myself for dealing with 200 women with 200 different personalities!”
“Harriet,” he told the group, “saw some chairs at a thrift store in Vero. She brought one here and got me out of my afternoon game to see if I thought they’d work in the Center. I did, so she went back to Vero and bought the other six.”
Center Activity Director Evelyn Porn (whom Matyka fondly referred to as “our 85-year-old Duracell bunny!”) was busy preparing a fresh pot of coffee. Porn, whose name has always, obviously, been cause for pause, explained that her late husband was Swedish.
A joy-filled, charming lady with a great sense of humor, she said that what she figured were teenage boys would occasionally call her, ask some dumb question, and then laugh. She would reply that, while she didn’t have any saucy reading material, she did now have their phone numbers and planned to call their parents. A hang-up usually followed.
The camaraderie continued as everyone sat down to enjoy the meal. Sebastian resident Doris Devine moved from Long Island 11 years ago.
“Yes, she’s utterly deee-vine,” teased friend Connie Antonellis, formerly a Cape Cod resident, now living in Barefoot Bay. “We’re O-Ri-Gi-Nal,” said Connie, referring to having been Senior Center members ever since it was in “the other building.”
Former Bostonian Gail Bates agreed. “We’re originals!”
Sebastian residents Evelyn Stegert, Norman Polycapo and Barbara and Craig Munson shared a table. They, too, called themselves “Originals” and agreed that Sebastian is “fantastic. The people are so nice.”
Kathleen Scott was eager to share that she was “a newlywed,” and pointed across the room to her new husband, Donald. The pair was married nine months ago at St. Elizabeth’s Church, and are still glowing.
The Senior Center itself has an uplifting story: As Matyka explained it, the group of seniors that now make up the Sebastian Senior Center were originally part of the Senior Resource Center, an Indian River County organization based in Vero Beach with a north county facility. It was a place where seniors could gather, converse, play games and have special events.
At one point, the Senior Resource Center changed its focus, and developed into a care facility, which needed all the available space. There was no longer a place for those who only wanted to get together to have fun and an occasional pot luck.
A petition was passed around and Mary McGee made contact with the Sebastian City Council, asking for help in finding another location for Sebastian area seniors. Councilwoman Andrea Coy took up the cause and, with the help of City Manager Al Minner, the city offered the group use of a vacant building just west of City Hall on Main Street, with an initial 5-year use agreement.
City staff, senior volunteers, the Elks and groups all over north county pitched in to clean and paint the building. Local businesses helped as well.
The community effort was something the senior center participants still talk about with great appreciation and gratitude.
The original leadership included Pat Goodfellow, Belinda Summers and Caroline Anderson. Matyka and the Originals all say, with pride, that from a group of 25-30 people, after only 18 months, membership is now more than 200, and continues to grow as news articles and word of mouth bring more people in.
Goodfellow has been invaluable in doing the extensive paperwork necessary for the organization to become a 501(C)3 non-profit. He, too, talks about the steady growth of the group and credits simply “someone bringing someone.”
The Center is a very well kept building with a large gathering room, a couple of smaller sitting and game rooms, “kitchen” and computer areas, large, impressive storage space.
Monday through Saturday, various games are scheduled, including Bridge, Mahjong, Canasta, Samba, Cribbage, Pinochle, Euchre, RummiKub and Dominoes, as well as Wii Bowling led by City Councilwoman Andrea Coy, and Tai Chi.
There is now a board that sees to the operations and ensures the facility is kept ship shape. At the helm is Matyka, who, as a former Marine, runs the center with dedication, attention to detail and an obvious affection for each and every member.
Members pay $1 for any day they play at the Center – if they can afford it. No one is turned away.
As a visitor left the Center, Evelyn called to her, “Come back soon. You’ll always find friends here.”
