Seniors rock out to help charity

     By Tiffannie Bond
     View staff writer
      It's not the music you rock out to, it's how and why you do it.
      On May 13, the residents of the Village Oaks assisted living community rocked out on their rocking chairs to 1940s-era music to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network at University Medical Center.
      "I think our residents really wanted to give back to the community, and we have a philosophy here that love is ageless," said Margaret Anka, admissions coordinator. "We do a lot of inter-generational activities here, so it seemed like a natural progression to help children."
      This is the first time for the rock-a-thon, but the residents have been raising money for the charity through parking lot yard sales and bake sales, said Joyce Brozovich, Village Oaks administrator.
      The event began with a visit from the McDoniel Elementary School Choir, and first-graders from Ward Elementary School presented the residents with student-made folders, including copies of the songs they sang and small biography sheets of the student who made the folder.
      "(The students) had a great time. It was a great experience for them to see some place with older people," said Karen Retta, first-grade teacher at Gene Ward Elementary School. "It was nice because (the residents) were doing something for someone else."
      Mark Lederer and Victoria Garcia's first-grade classes also sang songs for the residents, including selections from the "Lion King" and "De Colores" from the bilingual students.
      Other entertainment also included disc jockey Larry Taylor, Pete Valle as Elvis, James Woodard, Bobby Shawn and Rio Rita, along with second-graders from Thorpe Elementary School.
      As the disc jockey played "Sentimental Reasons" by Nat King Cole, resident Charlotte Egan, 85, rocked back and forth enjoying the music.
      "I'm having a wonderful time. Our recreation department, every month this year, has done something to contribute to (the children's network)," Egan said.
      The residents were also wearing commemorative rock-a-thon T-shirts that were sold to benefit the charity, Egan said.
      "It's really a year-long fund-raising activity, and the rock-a-thon is the culmination of all that fund-raising," Anka said.
      The residents were sponsored by their friends and family for a nondescript amount for rocking throughout the day, Brozovich said.
      The residents also raised money by raffling off prizes, such as meals at The Reserve, tickets to the Grand Adventures Theme Park at the MGM Grand and a three-day/two-night stay at Harrah's in Laughlin.
      The event raised about $3,700, easily eclipsing the original goal of $2,000.