July Magazine for Pasadena Senior Center

Pasadena Senior Center Board of Directors President Sandra Burton Greenstein

From the Executive Director, Akila Gibbs

Vice President Martha M. Denzel Treasurer Linda Polwrek Secretary Cristina Fuentes Board Members Renée Benjamin, Esq. Joan Branin, Ph.D. Patricia Ann Golson, Esq. Anthony Hou, M.D. Lynn Mehl, Ph.D. Angie O’Brien Theresa M. Pranata, Esq. Steve Ralph Abel Ramirez Marsha Rood Kris Stevens, Ph.D. Maureen Tyra Executive Director Akila Gibbs Advisory Council Becky Thyne , Esq., Chair William Bogaard Gene A. Buchanan Katherine Enney, Ph.D. Margie Gregg Grossman Alice S. Huang, Ph.D. Laura Mosqueda, M.D.

Aging, Purpose, and the Lessons We’ve Learned When I turned 40, I remember thinking: “oh, good. Now I have enough life experience to make a great toast!” This year, I’m turning 74, and I have so much to toast as the Executive Director of the Pasadena Senior Center. The Center is turning 65 this year, a milestone not just for an institution, but for a philosophy—a belief that aging should be embraced with dignity, purpose, and joy. As I reflect on this journey, both personally and professionally,

I see how aging has shaped me. I never imagined, when I was younger, that I would love a job as much as I do working at the Pasadena Senior Center. My love for storytelling once drew me to television news. But as I’ve grown older, the stories I want to tell aren’t just about world events— they’re about people, about aging with dignity, about ensuring that every person in their later years feels seen and valued. And in that realization, I’ve found something profound: that aging has given me permission to fully embrace who I am. The qualities I once questioned—my height, my voice, my love for words— have become my strengths. I used to worry that I talked too much, took up too much space. One of the greatest gifts of growing older is perspective—the realization that we don’t have to fit into preconceived ideas of who we should be. We learn that true friendship is invaluable, that not liking something doesn’t make it wrong, that what matters is finding joy and meaning in the things that resonate with us. This perspective led me to opt out of a book club that I’ve been a member of for more than 20 years. It just wasn’t serving me anymore, and I owned my truth about that. If any of you have been members of a book club (or a different kind of social group), you know how difficult it is to leave! I get to express awe and amazement every day at what I see at the Center: Sixty-five years ago, when the Center opened its doors, we couldn’t imagine that a 100-year-old man would be coming five days a week for an exercise session (hello Jessie!). We thought that people over 60 should slow down. Instead, the Center is currently hosting its 32nd Pasadena Senior Games. I learned recently that Michelle Obama’s mom, the late Marian Robinson, competed in the Senior Games in track and field and won her category in the state of Illinois. (You can still register on our website for some Senior Games events, or you can cheer on our archers, bowlers, cyclists and power walkers!) Sixty-five years ago, we thought that after a certain age, you won’t make new friends. Spend one lunch time at the Center, and you’ll see how that’s not true. We thought that older adults would be wary of new technology. Instead, our members use Zoom regularly, and the demand for online classes continues to grow, with the Center offering several virtual classes As we celebrate 65 years of the Pasadena Senior Center, I am deeply grateful—not just for this institution and the people it has served, but for what aging has given me: clarity and confidence. I will continue to use my voice, my presence, and my passion to ensure that aging is seen not as a decline but as an evolution. Because every year we grow older is another year to expand into the person we were always meant to be. I’m toasting me and all of you!

The Pasadena Senior Center is a prized community asset. As a donor supported nonprofit, PSC relies upon private donations, foundation grants, corporate sponsorship, and community philanthropy along with fees for membership, classes and facility rentals. It takes this combined effort to ensure that we are able to advance our mission to support older adults today, tomorrow and in years to come since the Center does not receive federal funding for its operations and is not a city-operated facility. As the numbers of seniors and their needs continue to grow, we are doing everything we can to ensure that seniors are able to age vibrantly and with grace and dignity.

A printed version of this issue can be purchased at the Welcome Desk for $1 while supplies last.

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