Caregivers and kids celebrate Valentine’s Day in style
— Photo by Greg Goutos
Brothers in service: Conor and Sean Quinn, members of the Guilderland High School Key Club, organized the Valentine’s dinner for residents of the Omni Senior Living Community.
— Photo by Greg Goutos
Musician lauded: Omni resident Jean Qualantone shares her appreciation with Tyler Mazone, who played the clarinet at the Community Caregivers’ Valentine’s celebration for Omni residents.
— Photo by Greg Goutos
Lucky winner: Dale Duncan happily receives a raffle prize from Katie Yang of Key Club.
Community Caregivers celebrated the spirit of Valentine’s Day by holding a special dinner for the residents of the Omni Senior Living Community on Carman Road in Guilderland. The 14th Annual Italian Night was held on Feb. 13.
The event was sponsored by Community Caregivers, a Guilderland-based not-for-profit organization that provides non-medical services to Albany County clients through the help of local volunteers. Members of the Guilderland High School Key Club were also on hand to assist with the dinner.
More than 50 residents enjoyed an evening of good food and fun festivities, as the Omni community room was decorated with flowers and hearts to reflect the Valentine’s Day theme. Young students of the Guilderland Martial Arts studio made handcrafted Valentine’s cards for the seniors to keep.
All the food was donated by several local restaurants, and many in attendance won door prizes that were generously provided by area businesses.
The evening began with a brief overview of the types of services and programs offered by Community Caregivers, which recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of its founding.
During the dinner, the residents were truly enthralled by the musical talents of Guilderland sophomore Tyler Mazone, who played a rousing solo edition of “The Star Spangled Banner” on the clarinet. After several more songs, the evening concluded with members of the Key Club drawing the winning names of the lucky recipients of the prizes. This special intergenerational event was enjoyed by all in attendance.
Fourteen volunteers participated, including students, Sean and Conor Quinn, Katie Yang, Aurora Trainor, Tyler Mazone, Lindsey Garrant, Naomi Carter, and Kate Cotten. Others who helped were: Suzanne and Kevin Quinn; Nellie and Greg Goutos; and Kolya Wirth, an exchange student from Germany. Also, a special thank you to Mary McGann, an Omni resident who served as the site coordinator this year.
Community Caregivers greatly appreciates the generosity of the following area restaurants whose donations made this year’s event possible: Tesoro Italian Restaurant, Marisa’s Place, Ciao Italia Ristorante, Via Fresca, Café Calabria, Barcelona Restaurant, Bountiful Bread, Paesan’s Pizza, The 99 Restaurant, and TGI Fridays. Also, thanks to Stewart’s for donating the ice cream for dessert.
The Valentine’s Day flowers were donated by Emil J. Nagengast Florist. Supplies were donated by BJ’s Wholesale Club, Hannaford and Price Chopper, with special thanks to Valerie King. Prizes to be drawn were generously provided by: Robinson’s Hardware, Carman Wine and Liquor, The Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, The Pottery Place, Candy Kraft, Capital City Diner, Maggie’s Cafe, and The Altamont Enterprise.
Community Caregivers once again wishes to express its deep appreciation to the Quinn family of Guilderland, whose members spend countless hours organizing the annual dinner, as they have done for the past several years. Sean and Conor Quinn, both Guilderland High school students involved with Key Club, have taken the lead in coordinating every aspect of this event. They truly deserve all the credit for making the evening the success that it has become.
For more information about Community Caregivers, please contact the office at 456-2898, or go online to www.communitycaregivers.org.
Editor’s note: Greg Goutos is a volunteer with the Community Caregivers.