RSS Feed
|
The Acorn - Thousand Oaks Acorn Moorpark Acorn - Camarillo Acorn |
|
|||||
|
Handing out hugs by the handful
But as the 74yearold volunteer strolled through the halls of the Simi Valley Senior Center last Thursday, the endless stream of hellos and hugs she received from fellow seniors gave away her cover. "I'm from Hawaii, and there, we love to give hugs," she said, smiling. Those hugs have been felt all the way up to the city's Council on Aging, which earlier this month named Dulay the winner of its Wayne Templeton Volunteer of the Year award. Though Dulay, a 41-year resident of Simi Valley, said she was honored to be selected, she said she'd rather someone else receive the award. "I'm not here to volunteer to get recognized," she said. "But the other volunteers would say to me, 'Just accept it.' I just feel bad because there are so many other people who do so much, but they have to wait another year before another person is recognized." Dulay has been volunteering daily at the senior center since late 2000, following her retirement after 28 years of service with the city's department of community services. She and her husband, Art- they will celebrate 50 years of marriage in September- spend at least four hours each weekday at the center, doing whatever they can to help. Nowadays, Elie Dulay is in charge of scheduling all the entertainment and special events during the senior lunch program. The seniors participate in a karaoke singalong on Mondays, a game of "Name That Tune" on Tuesdays, bingo on Fridays and various other activities throughout the week. Every morning, Dulay picks up donated baked goods from local businesses to serve along with the morning coffee or tea. This week, to celebrate all the January birthdays in the center, she picked up a birthday cake donated by Pavilions. She's also made it her personal goal to maintain the center's multipurpose room, where the seniors come to socialize before lunch and watch entertainers perform on the center stage. "When I first came here, this place was so drabby," she said. "It reminded me of an emergency room at the hospital. It was very gloomy. "I just wanted to improve this place. I wanted to make it feel warm and welcoming." That's when Dulay came up with the idea of partnering with the senior arts and crafts program to keep the room adorned with flowers and seasonal decorations. "We change the colors of the flowers according to the season," she said, pointing to the centerpiece on one of the tables. The occasional celebrations, like the recent luau she organized at the center, also give Dulay the opportunity to encourage her fellow seniors to keep active. As a Honolulu native, Dulay loves to dance the hula. Before the last luau, she taught some of the seniors how to dance the traditional "Hukilau," a portrayal of how Hawaiians would catch fish with big leaf-nets. "They love to dance," she said. "And we encourage them to dance because it's good for their bodies. It's good for me too." Although Elie and Art, who met during college at the University of Hawaii, have spent most of their lives in Simi Valley raising three children and taking care of their five grandchildren, the couple never strays too far from their roots. When the Kupunas Ukulele Group played on the multipurpose stage last Wednesday, Elie couldn't resist the urge to stand up and dance. She swayed side-to-side gently, letting her arms tell the story of a special city in Maui, as she mouthed the lyrics to the song: "That's where you'll find me, down by the seaside . . . the morning sunrise, the golden sunset in Lahaina, Lahaina Luna." |
for larger version       Ads have a Patent Pending. Click Here for More Information |
||||
)