By Emily Steele
Like nomads of old, Blanqui Gálvez and her partner, Gisela Llorens, move with the seasons from the Florida Keys to Colorado and to their respective homelands of Peru and Puerto Rico. Both feel close to the country of their birth and the United States — the country of their heart. While in place, they seek to be a part of the community, Llorens with fellow artists and Gálvez with the eclectic community around her.
They discovered the Florida Keys when a friend invited them to visit. They fell in love with the sunshine, the canal they stayed on, the endearing manatees and the people they met. They knew they would be back and now spend several months enjoying the climate and being involved in the community; Llorens with the Art Guild of the Purple Isles and Gálvez with the JOY Center.
When Ga՛lvez talks about the JOY Center she becomes animated and her eyes sparkle with excitement. As Gálvez tells it, “I discovered the JOY Center by a very lucky accident and from the moment I walked in I was impressed with the excitement there. People were leaving one session and rushing to get to the next one.”
She thought, “These are my kind of people, I could thrive here. … A connection that moves you forward keeps you growing, because if you are not growing, you are just growing old.”
Gálvez believes that after people retire they are often viewed, or view themselves, as less than they were: less active, less connected, less accepted and less respected. The JOY Center offers a place that meets the needs of older youth as they move from retirement to the rest of their lives, preventing the “less than” syndrome.
Currently, Gálvez is part of the center’s Zoom book club and live ukulele class. “I see the book club as a combination book club, therapy group and sit-down comedy,” Gálvez said, “where we discuss the book, our lives and sometimes we laugh and cry together. These people will always be honored members of my tribe.
“The JOY Center is a gift we want more people to avail themselves of,” Gálvez continues.
“Because at the end of the day it doesn’t matter the job you have, the title you carry, the money you make, it’s the human connections that are most important. That’s the opportunity JOY has provided me, and as president of the board, I feel it’s my responsibility to pay it forward to the community.”
Gálvez belongs to a rock painting group. Each of her painted rocks portrays an interpretation of a rainbow. She leaves them in a certain place in her community, and when she returns, they’re gone.
“Someone is picking them up,” she said, smiling. “We have made a connection, although we have never met.”
Just Older Youth Inc., a nonprofit, founded the JOY Center in 2018. The JOY Center offers vibrant programs and lifelong learning experiences for people over 50 every Wednesday, both virtual and onsite. It is funded by private donations and run mainly by volunteers. Currently, J.O.Y. Inc. is seeking to partner with the Monroe County Parks & Recreation Department in the creation of a community center in the Upper Keys that would benefit our teenagers through senior citizens.This bi-weekly column features the many dedicated people who are working to achieve this goal. For more information, visit Justolderyouthinc@gmail.com.
