by Kim Ruiz BALCERZAK
Its no secret that childhood memories - some fond, others vivid, but all very
powerful - have a tremendous influence on our actions as adults.
For Cleta Nunn, Director of Senior Affairs for the City of Buffalo, images of retired
older neighbors sitting on a porch, rocking in a chair and watching the world pass by is
one of the reasons she and her co-workers work so diligently to provide services that help
area seniors remain healthy and active.
I went home to Oklahoma after my father passed away and took time out to visit
with old friends and neighbors, Nunn recalled. I walked up to this beautiful
octagon-shaped house that had loomed larger than life to me as a child, but now seemed
smaller.
An older gentleman was sitting on the front porch. As I said hello,
that man looked up at me with a big smile and called to his wife, saying Honey,
Cletas here. That left a big impression on me. For him, time had stood still,
as if I were still a child.
Cleta shares a moment with her daughters. |
Years after I had left, my retired neighbors were doing the same things that had
occupied their lives when I was young -sitting, rocking and chatting -because there were
few opportunities for them to stay active. I learned at a very young age that activity was
the key to long and fulfilling lives for seniors.
Cleta Nunn took that message to heart. Today, you wont find any grass growing
beneath hers or area seniors shoes.
A spry 69, Nunn oversees Buffalos nine senior centers that provide social,
recreational and wellness services for an estimated 63,000 persons.
On any given day, seniors can be found participating in arts and crafts classes,
billiards, bingo, card parties, defensive driving courses, dance classes, exercise and
weight loss programs, and more.
Nunn often leads excursions to see plays in Toronto or the sights and sounds of
Atlantic City and trips to the Poconos and New York City, to name a few.
Birthdays, anniversaries and holiday celebrations are special happenings at each
center, whose members and staff are often as close as family.
All of us at the centers - staff, members and the community - work very hard to
make each facility a friendly, warm and caring place, Nunn explained.
Its really a team effort. No one person does it alone. And, because the
members and the community take such an interest and pride in the centers, were able
to offer interesting programs and services and be, in essence, a home away from
home.
The crowning of the senior king and queen at a Buffalo senior center event. |
This sense of family is the basis behind all of Cleta Nunns actions. Her four
children, all Western New Yorkers, four grandchildren and two great grandchildren are the
focal part of her life. Family is the ultimate connection, she said.
They are my life. I wish everyone could share a family relationship like the one I
have and experience the love and devotion that my family gives to me. I believe that if
youre happy and secure in your family, you can help others and bring them the
family-like happiness you enjoy.
Nunn grew up in Ardmore, Oklahoma in the post-depression era when families needed to be
strong to survive. She credits the strength and discipline learned as a child for
preparing her for the world today. I was raised on a farm, she said.
One of my chores was to wake up at 4 a.m., milk the cows and run the liquid through
a separating machine. Once that was done, I had to dismantle the machine, clean and
disinfect the parts and re-assemble it - all before breakfast and the morning school
bell.
My father was a country doctor. Back then, we didnt have much. No one did
because money was scarce. Everything you lived on came from the land. In fact, my father
often got paid for his services in trade - chickens, livestock and fruits of the
land. My mother, who was an angel, was the strongest person I knew. She
was the backbone of the family. My grandfather was a country doctor, too. He ran the local
drug store which had an ice cream/soda fountain counter.
Cleta Nunn came to Western New York in the 1950s. Her varied career accomplishments
include serving as a commercial radio announcer, a wholesale foods manager, working at the
Buffalo International Airport and serving as co-host of the popular Buffalo senior
television program, Aging Is For Everyone.
In 1971 she began her public service career with the Erie County Health Department.
Nunn joined Buffalos senior services division in 1977 at the Holling Senior
Center and was promoted to Director of the Schiller Park Senior Center in 1980.
A Family Affair . . . Cleta Nunn (bottom right) sits with granddaughter Andrea as her children Rusty, Dan, Norma and Laura (standing, from left) look on. |
She and her co-workers spent 13 years transforming an empty building into a vital
senior center with over 54 programs and 7,000 card-carrying members. They also organized
and supervised a $1.5 million expansion of the center.
After a short stay as Director of the Tosh Collins Senior Center, Nunn was tapped by
the Masiello administration as Director of Senior Affairs for the entire city of Buffalo.
I would not be where I am today, if it wasnt for the support of the
people in my life, she said. My zest for living, helping others and
accomplishing what I do is because of the people Ive worked with and their
cooperation as a team. That work continues. A recent addition to center offerings is
Golden Years 2000+, a special wellness program run jointly by the centers and the Wellness
Institute of Greater Buffalo.
According to Nunn, each center is developing a wellness club to promote healthy living
and increased physical activity among seniors. Centers will have access to new exercise
equipment such as stationary bicycles, treadmills, hand weights and exercise mats.
Cleta tries the new exercise equipment a Buffalo senior center, part of the new wellness clubs and Golden Age 2000+. Photos by Don Heupel. |
The Wellness Institute will provide staff support to each wellness club.
Nunn added that senior centers may not be for everyone.
Senior centers are for people who have the need to socialize and work with
others, she explained. There are countless other ways a person can spend their
time, such as volunteering in a hospital, serving as an instructor or working
part-time.
The most important thing is not to sit down and do nothing. Everyone must
continue to grow and experience new and exciting things to help keep your mind sharp. That
is what the senior centers are all about - staying healthy and remaining young in mind and
spirit.
Going my way ... Cleta Nunn leads a senior center member excursion. |
Thats good advice that Nunn follows every day. In fact, shell
be re-joining the Aging Is For Everyone program this spring, helping to develop and
enhance the programs content.
Kim Ruiz Balcerzak is Managing Editor of Living Prime Time.
Family and senior center program photos courtesy of the City of Buffalo Office for Senior
Affairs.