Far Rockaway Seniors Celebrate Mother’s Day Weekend

Last weekend, more than 100 older adults at the Beach Channel Senior Residences (34-11 Beach Channel Drive) in Far Rockaway celebrated Mother’s Day weekend with food, music, and salsa dancing. They were joined by high school student volunteers and community partners for an intergenerational celebration.

“Seeing everyone get up, start dancing, and support each other was really special,” said Dylan Moritz, the high school sophomore who helped organize the event, and recruited more than a dozen of his classmates to volunteer alongside him. “The goal is to create moments of happiness and connection, and it shows how much joy can come from simply bringing generations together. Many of my classmates were thrilled to join and already look forward to the next event.”

The event was organized in partnership with affordable housing developer The Arker Companies and JASA, the nonprofit serving older adults. The Arker Companies developed the Beach Channel Senior Residences, which opened in 2018. The Mother’s Day celebration marked the first in what the organizations intend will become a broader series of celebrations across senior developments, designed to bring more families and young volunteers into senior communities and create meaningful connection for older New Yorkers. The event series, called “Generations,” is a reference to both bringing different generations together to form meaningful bonds, as well as to The Arker Companies being a third-generation family business.

Despite some rain, the celebration quickly moved indoors, where residents, relatives, and the student volunteers kept the energy going with a DJ, music, salsa dancing lesson, a high-spirited bingo game, giveaways, and time to connect across generations. Bingo was done in multiple languages, helping make the event accessible and celebratory for residents from across the building.

Many residents brought children and grandchildren, making the event a multigenerational gathering. Organizers said the goal was simple: to create joy, community, and togetherness for older adults who may not always have access to large social events or opportunities to gather with neighbors, families, and young adults.

“I’m a big Giants fan, so of course I enjoyed my long conversation with a resident who was wearing a Giants hat. We both think we’re playoff bound this year!” Moritz said.

The Arker Companies and JASA hope to build on the success of this first “Generations” celebration, with another event already being discussed for the fall.