Parsippany Community Center: For the Young at Heart

“Staying active and social after retirement is key to good health and longevity.”

This is the philosophy of Barbara Ievoli, director of human services for the township of Parsippany Troy-Hills. Ievoli, who has worked in the municipality for 27 years, believes providing community programs to older adults "offers community support, social stimulation, and structure."

The Parsippany Community Center, at 1130 Knoll Road, has operated since October 1991. The building was a tennis and racquetball club until the township purchased it in 1990. After being renovated, the facility became home to the Department of Social Services, the Senior Citizen Center, the Office on Aging, the Health and Housing departments, the Fire Prevention Bureau, the Women’s Theater Company, the Book Nook, and the Knoll Indoor Tennis Club.

Despite the many programs under the center’s roof, Ievoli considers the Senior Citizen Center to be “her baby,” something she worked long and hard to see to fruition. In recent years, Ievoli has seen the population at the center getting larger and "somewhat younger which may be the result of recent changes in the economy and people choosing to retire sooner."

Ievoli feels that the center lends itself to socialization and variety. It has two large meeting rooms that open into a gathering space, recreation area, kitchen, two smaller conference rooms, food pantry, library, exercise room and a clinic staffed by a public health nurse.

Walk into the center on any given day and you'll see a bustle of activity. As you enter the main floor, a familiar "thwack" is heard as folks play pool, engage in card games like bridge and Mahjong, or take pleasure in leisurely reading. Individuals with medical clearance from their doctors can work out in the exercise room or take fitness classes such as yoga and tai chi. Just a few flights down, serious games of ping-pong are ongoing, as is the Book Nook, a used bookstore that works in conjunction with the Parsippany Public Library. Theresa Baderschneider, a library volunteer who runs the Book Nook, enjoys a steady stream of people coming in to volunteer, donate books, or purchase reading materials for themselves or others.

Bill Pyontek, a Parsippany resident and daily visitor to the center, looks forward to his standing pinochle game with friends Brian Duffy, Roland Apostola, and Norman Chase. For Pyontek, the center "gives me a place to come to each day and spend time playing a good game of cards with good friends."

In addition to activities, the center also works with the Morris County Nutrition Program to provide healthy midday meals. For a donation of $2, seniors can get a healthy lunch, socialize, and even play a game of Bingo. Ievoli also mentioned that those residents who are homebound have the option of meals being delivered to them.

The center also prides itself on services it offers. Medical transportation to and from doctor appointments is available as well assistance with filling out applications for Medicare and other insurance.

Friends and center regulars Rose Matt, Ann Purcaro and Marilyn Dominick call the center their home away from home. Matt hails the center as one of the best she’s seen. After visiting other centers in neighboring towns, Matt says that "the Parsippany Community Center goes beyond the typical one room that is often slated for senior activities. She believes that such well-run center "allows for a wider variety of programs and encourages mobility and socialization among its users'"

Ievoli prides herself on the positive impact the center has had on the senior members of the community.

She is “all for having residents come to the center at all times.” The daily presence of regulars gives Ievoli and her staff the reassurance that "the programs here are needed and appreciated by the older members of the community."

Ievoli states that when a center participant sadly passes away, family members often tell her that the center helped their loved one to live a longer and most importantly, a happier life.

For further information on senior programs and services offered by the Parsippany Community Center, call the Office on Aging at 973-263-7151 or 7352.