On April 30, the Five Towns Senior Center will be holding their annual gala luncheon at the Sewane Club, which is located at 1 Club Drive in Hewlett Harbor. The event will be honoring several people who make a difference to the Five Towns Senior Center.

I will be there to not only honor those recognized for what they do for the center, but to praise the center itself for all that it does for our community.

In existence for 57 years, the Five Towns Senior Center provides so much for the elderly members of the Five Towns. Activities include socials, educational classes, trips, college-type courses, and so much more that helps our senior community stay active, involved and vital. The center works closely with some other great organizations, such as the National Council of Jewish Women, Peninsula Section, the Five Towns Community Chest, and the Hewlett-Woodmere School District. By working in tandem, the Five Towns Senior Center can help so many others and make a difference to anyone who wishes to partake in what they offer.

At the luncheon, which begins at 11:30 a.m., they will be honoring Carole and Marvin Tolkin. Carole is a past president and executive director of the senior center and our 2005 Person of the Year. She has done so much in her life to help make the senior center what it is today – and she also met her husband at the center when they were both members. How fitting it is that she is recognized for all that she does.

The other honorees are Marilyn and Dr. Norman Cranin. Norman is a world-renowned oral surgeon and Marilyn headed the board of directors for the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library during the period of its most recent expansion. They have been a part of the community for 50 years and deserve praise for their generous dedication to the senior center.

I encourage anyone who cares for our senior community and is interested in supporting this great organization to attend the luncheon. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased by calling the Five Towns Senior Center at (516) 374-4747.

I hope that you will join me for an afternoon of great food, good friends and worthy causes.

I am looking forward to seeing you there.