Senior citizens will arrive in the main lobby for the annual Senior Citizen Spring Brunch on the morning of March 23. Interact members, as usual, will host the gathering. The senior citizens come from Brookdale, Lions Gate, and Atria Senior Living.

   At the Senior Citizen Spring Brunch, senior citizens are invited to spend the morning eating breakfast in the cafeteria, featuring heaps of donuts and muffins, accompanied by students eager to help get breakfast and talk with the guests. Soon after breakfast, the seniors will watch Eastern’s spring play, The Music Man.

   Co-leader of the Interact club, Mrs. Mancinelli, believes the Spring Brunch provides the opportunity for “students to interact with members of the community they normally wouldn’t have the chance to interact with.”

  The club leaders and student officers have been preparing continuously to give the guests a special day just for them; “When guests attend, they feel so excited and happy, and everyone is really appreciative,” Mrs. Mancinelli said.

  For the brunch to run smoothly, Mrs. Mancinelli said that vital tasks are divided between officers. Flyers are sent to community centers, Members are asked to donate supplies, And the games were finalized weeks before the event took place.

   The week of the event Interact gets the rsvps, makes sure we have enough gift bags, ensures the cafeteria is set up and the cafeteria staff has everything they need. “We communicate with the play director to make sure there are enough seats set aside,” Mrs. Mancinelli said.

   Entertainment officer Tanya Abillar said we always do our best to accommodate our guests by providing them a buddy to talk to, food and beverages, bingo games, and many prizes. “Afterwards, we take them to see the school play,” she said.

   In the past, the hard work has inevitably paid off for both Interact and Senior Citizens.

  “My favorite memories are interacting with the seniors. The seniors I had last year were Mr. Tull’s parents and added interesting topics into the conversation,” Abillar said.

   Interact leaders and officers hope to see familiar faces at the upcoming brunch. Mrs. Mancinelli said different senior citizens who attend year after year have favorite students and they request these certain students. “It’s especially heartwarming,” she said, “when students have volunteered from freshman year to senior year.”