Verona Senior Honored

They danced, chatted and sat with their friends at a luncheon honoring seniors from throughout Essex County.

Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo honored area seniors on Thursday for their volunteer work and commitment to senior clubs in the area. It's an annual event where seniors are recognized for their participation throughout the year.

The Outstanding Senior Citizen Awards were presented Thursday afternoon at  The Chandelier in Belleville.

“Our historic park system is a great resource for the community and we are proud that our parks serve as regular meeting places where our senior citizens congregate, play games, meet for lunch and make new friends,” DiVincenzo said. “These activities are organized entirely by volunteers who give their time for the benefit of the club membership."

The honorees included:

Rose Salierno, a resident from Verona, is a member of the Verona Park Seniors. She has been the club’s Program Coordinator for six years.

She has organized shopping trips and luncheons, planned holiday parties and is always ready to lend a helping hand. “I didn’t expect to be the one honored by the club,” she said. “I appreciate the club and enjoy all the things we do together.”

The annual award program was sponsored by the Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs. Essex County hosts 13 senior citizen clubs, and each one has the opportunity to nominate someone from their club for the award. This year, 10 clubs participated in the awards ceremony.