Nassau News

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At top, Hofstra student and Newman Club member Julia Matias dances with one of the residents of the Nassau Extended Care Center at a recent "prom" the club organized for the center. At bottom, Betty Monroe claps to the music as her fellow residents dance. (Photos by Christina Fabiano and Julia Mathias)

By Christina Fabiano
Nassau News Staff Writer

Under a glittering mirror ball in the middle of a makeshift dance floor decorated in black, silver and white balloons and with gold stars, residents of the Nassau Extended Care Center clapped, danced, and wheeled themselves around the dance floor to a medley of songs from the 50s, 60s and 70s at their “Senior Prom.”

They were given the opportunity to renew their prom experience by 14 members of the Newman Club, an organization made up of Catholic students from Adelphi University and Hofstra University.

Corsages were fastened to wrists, feather boas flapped around necks and sparkling grape juice was served in elegant plastic wine glasses. Students dressed in their finest dresses and ties and spent the evening mingling with residents who, in the case of Betty Monroe, 87, have not been to a prom since as long ago as 1937. Monroe, who spent the evening clapping along to the music and watching the other residents on the dance floor, said she has been looking forward to the prom since she first heard about it. Although she denied any requests from the students to dance, Monroe nodded her head to the music and with a sly smile said, “I’ve had my share of dancing. Oh, yes!”

John Fitzgerald, Adelphi’s campus minister who conceived the idea of the senior prom, said that this is the first year it has been held by the Catholic Campus Parish, a network of Long Island college campuses. Prior to this year, Fitzgerald ran the senior prom through St. John’s University. After he discussed his past success with it, the members of Adelphi’s and Hofstra’s Newman Club members “took the idea and ran with it,” said Kacey Antonik, the president of Adelphi’s Newman Club. “We definitely want to make this a yearly thing.”

Sean Magaldi, an Adelphi student, spent the night leading the residents to the dance floor and teaching them a new dance move or two. As Betty Monroe watched Magaldi, who would later be voted Prom Prince, lead one of her floor-mates to the dance floor, she laughed, pointed and said, “Look at this one getting out on the floor!”

Magaldi paused his dancing for a moment to reflect on his experience at the care center and said, “It’s nice to give people something to enjoy.”

Evans Julce, a member of Hofstra’s Newman Club agreed with Magaldi on the issue of the residents getting some much needed downtime outside of their rooms with a vivacious group of people to make them feel young again for one night. “They don’t get enough of this,” Julce said, “It’s a great thing to know that what you’re doing is appreciated.”

For staff at the Nassau Extended Care Center, the prom served as a step in the right direction for community involvement and recreation. William Maher, director of therapeutic recreation, said that when he first started at the center there was no community involvement at all and little recreational activity provided for the residents. After being contacted by Fitzgerald about the event and then seeing the positive turnout, Maher hopes that this is the beginning of a lot of volunteer involvement.

Standing by the entrance to the dance floor, Maher observed the Newman Club students dancing with the residents as smiling, laughing family members looked on. “I think the families that are here are pleasantly surprised,” Maher said. Maher, who said that he thought the families of the residents were more curious about the prom than interested in it, added, “The ones that heard about it and weren’t here are going to regret that they didn’t come.”

Jean Devlasio is a testament to Maher’s belief that some of the families were skeptical about the event. “When I first saw ‘Senior Prom,’ I thought it was a bit of an insult,” said Devlasio, whose aunt is a center resident. Devlasio thought that perhaps “Senior Social” would have been a better title for the event, rather than “Senior Prom”, which she felt mocked the residents. At the end of a night of singing, dancing and even a crowning of a Prom King and Queen and Prince and Princess, Devlasio said, “Now that I’m here, I think it was an excellent idea.”

Beyond the excitement of the prom, the event conjured long-forgotten memories for Betty Monroe. “I remember the good old days of me,” she said as she continued watching the dancing, never missing a beat with her rhythmic claps. “I danced all over Virginia and Washington, D.C.”

Monroe reminisced about the times she had as a young woman when dancing was everything and times were more simple and innocent. “This is good, clean fun,” Monroe said.

After pictures had been taken, pigs-in-blankets had been eaten and the DJ had spun his final tune -- Donna Summer’s song “Last Dance” -- the residents began to depart, but not without saying goodbye to the students and insisting everyone visit again soon.

Megan Ciccarello, president of Hofstra University’s Newman Club, felt the night was a definite triumph. “We were just here to have fun,” she said, reflecting on the night and how it brightened more than a few lives.

As for Betty Monroe, she could not agree more. Wheeling herself out of the room with a grin, she said, “Thank you all. It was very nice. I loved it!”

For more information on the Hofstra University’s Newman Club, contact the Interfaith Center at Hofstra University at 516-463-6920. For more information on the Nassau Extended Care Center and volunteering, call 516-565-4800.