Yoga instructor and senior advocate Tonia Moore leads one of her students in a partner stretch in early morning Yoga at The Baird. (Photo by Laura Griffin)
Not long after Tonia Moore moved to South Orange in 2010, she decided to retire — the hour-and-an-half commute to her job as a high school student assistance counselor in Lawrence was exhausting. But retirement left her with a lot of time on her hands and not much to do. So she started looking for activities for retirees.
“There was not much here,” other than weekly lectures at the South Orange Public Library, where she met some other seniors who were also looking to be more active in the community, she recently told The Village Green.
They co-founded South Orange Seniors and set out to figure out what the Village’s older residents wanted and needed, surveying seniors to find out what people liked about South Orange, what they didn’t like and what needed to change, she said.
“People wanted classes. People wanted to get together. They wanted transportation,” she said. “A lot of our people move here to be close to grandchildren. Their kids are grown so they’re not meeting other parents. They need ways to meet others in the community.”
Moore also knew this on a personal level. She and her husband Ed had also moved here to be close to family. Now both of their grown children and their four grandchildren all live nearby in the Montrose neighborhood.
Before too long, Moore, a former long-distance cyclist and marathon runner who is also a certified yoga instructor, was teaching classes for strengthening bones and improving balance for seniors. In the beginning, she said, after class, they’d have lunch, bring in speakers and make it a social gathering. They also partnered with Seton Hall to hold a few “senior” proms.
RELATED: South Orange Seniors Throw Successful Cotton Ball Gala
Tonia Moore is a community volunteer, a senior advocate and yoga and Healthy Bones instructor. (Photo by Laura Griffin)
Moore also has volunteered with numerous community organizations, including Friends of the Library, where she spent eight years as president; the SOPL Library Foundation, where she still serves on the Board; the Community Coalition on Race; and as a docent at the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange.
Each week, Tonia Moore leads five sections of yoga, as well as a bone health for seniors class at The Baird. (Photo by Laura Griffin)
At 81, Moore now teaches five sections of yoga — early morning yoga, chair yoga, gentle yoga, beginner and intermediate yoga — and the bone health class for seniors at The Baird. And there are also now lots of other classes at The Baird for “Active Older Adults,” that she doesn’t teach, including core strengthening, dance, Zumba, and arts classes.
Moore is as dedicated to teaching and to her fellow seniors as ever. Her students, most of whom are over 62, are often amazed by her stamina and her ability to hold difficult yoga poses for long periods of time with seemingly little effort.
“It’s a fun and encouraging class,” said South Orange resident Marilyn Lehren, who takes Moore’s intermediate yoga class. “We laugh, support each other and feel stronger every week. Tonia inspires us to rise to the challenge— if she can do the poses, so can we.”
Beyond teaching classes at The Baird, Moore is also the chair of the Senior Citizen Advisory Committee, where she is currently focused on getting the town to expand bus service for seniors. She envisions a more regular service that could be relied on by seniors who no longer drive. It could also be used by others, but would be free for seniors, she said.
She’s been surveying seniors in the community about their transportation needs and is trying to make sure she includes everyone.
“Our real focus is to find people who aren’t in classes, who are isolated by age and don’t drive anymore,” she said. “It’s a matter of finding them. Unless we can show there’s a need, we won’t be able to make it happen.”
RELATED: South Orange Senior Citizens Look to Expand Bus Service
Village Council Member Karen Hartshorn Hilton, who serves as liaison to the South Orange Public Library, the Senior Citizen Advisory Committee and was a co-founder of the Library Foundation, has worked for years on numerous initiatives with Moore.
“Tonia is a tireless advocate for the needs of seniors and the betterment of our whole community,” Hilton said. “As chair of our Senior Advisory Committee, Tonia ensures that all voices are heard. She is quick to share an observance, and it is often an item I hadn’t thought of, and is in need of attention. She is a tremendous help to our Village.”
“Tonia is a treasure to our community,” Hilton said. “She is one of the first people I go to when seeking advice or an opinion.”
South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum said Moore’s “boundless energy and unwavering commitment to our community” inspire those who work with her.
“Tonia Moore is the heart and soul of what makes South Orange such a special place,” Collum said. “Whether she’s teaching yoga, advocating for our seniors, championing our public library, or lending her thoughtful voice to local initiatives, Tonia exemplifies engaged citizenship and the power of giving back.”
