Seton Hall University and South Orange Seniors Host Successful 'Cotton Ball' Gala

From left, Peggy Cinberg, Michelle Peterson, Nan Samons and Tonia Moore. Photo Credit: Marie Somers

From Seton Hall University’s Division of Volunteer Efforts:

More than 125 South Orange senior citizens gathered for the Division of Volunteer Efforts (DOVE) and South Orange Seniors’ second annual Senior Gala on April 10. The Cotton Ball Gala, named for the traditional second anniversary gift of cotton, featured dancing, musical entertainment, refreshments and a food drive benefiting Our Lady of Sorrows Food Pantry in South Orange.

“Our students have a big presence in the South Orange community,” said Michelle Peterson, director of DOVE. “It is their home while they are students at Seton Hall, so it is important that we show South Orange that we care about it and its people.”

The partnership between DOVE and the South Orange Seniors formed last year. “The founders of the South Orange Seniors came to meet with me about how DOVE might be able to support their initiatives,” said Peterson. “We have been able to organize the annual dances with them and have coordinated snow shoveling for two senior apartment buildings in South Orange.”

The South Orange Seniors were founded in 2014 by local senior residents Tonia Moore, Nan Samons and Peggy Cinberg. They noticed an opportunity to better engage senior citizens in the community. Today, they are an official nonprofit and conduct regular focus groups in order to understand the needs of local senior citizens.

“From the onset, we were very interested in having intergenerational projects, as age needs to be exhilarated by youth and youth needs to be inspired by age,” said Moore. “Working with Seton Hall gives us the opportunity to get to know and enjoy the students and to have them brighten our whole environment. Their energy and humor are a delight to be around and they make possible exciting events that we very much enjoy.”

Samons added that having Seton Hall and DOVE’s support is a blessing. “It makes the day. Everyone reacted so well to the DOVE students this year and last year. There was such a wonderful intergenerational feeling among all of the attendees.”

“The Senior Gala is an opportunity for seniors and students to meet each other,” said Cinberg. “It is important for both generations to see that they have a lot in common and appreciate the differences between them.”

The South Orange Seniors hope the event inspires senior citizens and students to form friendships and do more together. They look forward to next year’s Senior Gala and to partnering with Seton Hall for other events.

“I hope the seniors made wonderful memories at the Cotton Ball Gala and enjoyed forming friendships with our students,” said Peterson.

Next, the South Orange Seniors and the College of Communication and the Arts will premiere a documentary that Professor William Pace’s students’ created called “Six.” The film tells the story of six individual life journeys of senior citizens living in South Orange. It will premiere on Sunday, May 1, 2016, at 1 p.m., at the South Orange Performing Arts Center. A panel discussion with Professor Pace, student filmmakers and documentary stars will immediately follow. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information about DOVE, please contact Michelle Peterson at (973) 761-9702 or divisionofvolunteerefforts@shu.edu or visit the websitehere.

Photo Caption: From left, Peggy Cinberg, Michelle Peterson, Nan Samons and Tonia Moore. Photo Credit: Marie Somers

ABOUT SETON HALL UNIVERSITY

One of the country’s leading Catholic universities, Seton Hall University has been developing students in mind, heart and spirit since 1856. Home to nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and offering more than 90 rigorous majors, Seton Hall’s academic excellence has been singled out for distinction by The Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek.

Seton Hall, which embraces students of all religions, prepares its graduates to be exemplary servant leaders and global citizens. In recent years, the University has achieved extraordinary success. Since 2009, the University has seen record-breaking undergraduate enrollment growth in addition to an impressive 95-point increase in the average SAT scores of incoming freshmen. In the past decade, Seton Hall students and alumni have been awarded nearly 20 Fulbright Scholarships as well as other prestigious academic honors including a Rhodes Scholar. In the past five years, the University has invested more than $134 million in new campus buildings and renovations. And in 2015, Seton Hall announced plans for a new School of Medicine as well as launched a new College of Communication and the Arts.

A founding member of the new Big East Conference, the Seton Hall Pirates field 14 NCAA Division I varsity sports teams. The University’s beautiful main campus is located in suburban South Orange, New Jersey, and is only 14 miles from New York City – offering its students a wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities. The University’s nationally recognized School of Law is prominently located in downtown Newark. For more information, visit www.shu.edu.

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