Celebrating 18 years of Omni dinners and 25 years of care
— Photo by Greg Goutos
Sweet reward: Audrey Tarullo, a resident at the Omni Senior complex in Guilderland, happily receives a raffle prize, a box of Candy Kraft candies, presented to her by Boy Scout Jared Lasselle of Troop 264. Community Caregivers held its annual dinner at the Omni on March 30, with this year commemorating the organization’s 25th anniversary.
— Photo by Greg Goutos
All smiles: Omni resident Jane Perry is handed a very welcoming prize from University at Albany student, Yuka Mogi, a visiting student here from Japan for four months.
In an evening filled with celebration and excitement, the residents of the Omni Senior Living Community enjoyed a dinner sponsored by Community Caregivers, on Saturday, March 30. This marked the 18th year that the annual event was held at the complex, which is located on Carman Road in Guilderland.
The 55 senior residents in attendance enjoyed a complimentary Italian dinner and cake for dessert. The food was donated by local restaurants, as well as from the support of members of the Community Caregivers Board of Directors.
The theme of this year’s event was in celebration of Community Caregivers’ 25th anniversary. A special cake was decorated to commemorate the milestone for the not-for-profit organization, which was founded in 1994 in Altamont.
The organization provides non-medical services to residents of Albany County at no charge, by matching local volunteers with nearby clients. The Caregivers’ office is located at 2021 Western Ave. in Guilderland.
After some welcoming remarks, Carol LaFleur was then introduced as the newly-appointed executive director of Community Caregivers. She talked about the types of services that the organization offers to its clients, and the ongoing need for new volunteers to become involved.
She also thanked the several volunteers on hand for taking the time to continue the tradition of hosting the annual dinner at the Omni for all these years.
This year, two groups assisted the Community Caregivers’ staff and other volunteers, in helping to serve the dinner and hand out the raffle prizes. Members of Boy Scout Troop 264 in Altamont were present. Also, several students from the University at Albany, who are from Japan as part of a special four-month English-language program, volunteered. The seniors truly enjoyed interacting with the Scouts and college students throughout the evening, making the event both an intergenerational and multicultural experience for all involved.
After the dessert was served, everyone eagerly awaited the moment when they might hear their name called for winning one of the many raffle prizes donated by local businesses. As the tickets were randomly drawn by the Scouts and the university students, the smiling faces of each winner were captured in the many photographs taken.
Also included as giveaways, were the vases of beautiful daffodils that each table had as a centerpiece. Nearly everyone happily went back to their apartments with something in hand.
More than 17 volunteers participated this year; their help was gratefully appreciated. From Boy Scout Troop 264 in Altamont, there was Jared Lasselle, Lucas Stang, and Alex Ware. Also assisting were Rinka Ogawa, Mone Izuka, and Yuka Mogi, who are attending the University at Albany as part of a partnership program with their Japanese universities.
The Caregivers’ staff on hand included Mary Morrison, Petra Malitz, Linda Miller, Sue Griffiths, and Carol LaFleur. The Community Caregivers volunteers involved were Andrea and Frank Saragaglia, Tom Morrison, and Nellie and Greg Goutos.
Also, we would like to thank the manager at the Omni Senior complex, Sandy Murphy, for all her support. A special thank-you is due to Mary McGann, an Omni resident who for years has worked on many of the details for the annual event, serving as our on-site coordinator.
Most of the food for the dinner was donated by local restaurants, with thanks to Bountiful Bread, and especially The 99 Restaurant. Also, thank you to Stewart’s Shops for its contribution of several items.
Raffle prizes were generously donated by local businesses, including Robinson’s Hardware, Candy Kraft, The Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Carman Wine & Liquor, Marotta’s Towne Pizza, the Bamboo Chinese Restaurant, and the Corner Ice Cream Store. Also contributing were, The Altamont Enterprise, Price Chopper/Market 32, Hannaford Supermarket, and Stewart’s Shops.
Also supporting the event in various ways were St. Matthew’s Church in Voorheesville and the Altamont Reformed Church.
A special acknowledgement and thank-you goes to the several board members and staff members who supported the event, either by their time or by their financial contributions toward some of the food and raffle items.
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Community Caregivers Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that provides non-medical services including transportation and caregiver support at no charge to residents of Guilderland, Bethlehem, Altamont, New Scotland, Berne, Knox, and the city of Albany through a strong volunteer pool of dedicated individuals with a desire to assist their neighbors.
Our funding is derived in part from the Albany County Department for Aging, the New York State Office for the Aging, and the United States Administration on Aging. To find out more about our services, as well as volunteer opportunities, please visit www.communitycaregivers.org or call us at 518-456-2898.
Editor’s note: Greg Goutos is a Community Caregivers’ volunteer who has run the annual dinner at Omni since its inception.