About a dozen men and women sit together in a semi-circle, plucking at their ukuleles and singing. The music flows through the room like a soft Hawaiian breeze.
“Oh, we’re going to a hukilau / A huki, huki, huki, huki, hukilau / Everybody loves a hukilau / Where the laulau is the kau kau at the big luau.”
It might not be Hawaii, but the Luis Oasis Center in Orcutt is one of the most popular destinations for local seniors. Much like an island resort, the center provides access to weekly leisurely activities, such as exercise and Hula classes, arts and crafts, and lectures.
But don’t let the relaxed, friendly nature fool you—the seniors at the center like to stay busy.
The Luis Oasis Center Senior Ukulele Band meets weekly at the center to practice its repertoire of Hawaiian melodies, which it performs frequently for local schools, nonprofit organizations, clubs, and senior living facilities.
A group of about 12 center members comes together each week to bag and distribute groceries to local seniors as part of the Community Action Commission’s Senior Nutrition Program.
The center is home to two bereavement groups—the Good Grief Social Club and General Grievers—to help people of all ages through the loss of a loved one.
And the center also serves as a meeting place for Weight Watchers, the Orcutt Historical Society, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, and more.
“I’m completely impressed with the seniors here,” Luis Oasis Center Executive Director Moani Goonetilleke told the Sun. “It’s awe-inspiring, the things they do.”
For the last 25 years, she said, the seniors at the center have done everything in their power to accomplish the center’s goal of encouraging and enabling people, especially seniors, to improve their lives through social, educational, and cultural opportunities.
Now the seniors and staff members at the center will be even busier as they prepare for a benefit dinner on April 18. The majority of the proceeds from the dinner will go toward paying for the center’s new facility on county-owned land on Foster Road.
The center is currently located on land owned by the Orcutt Union School District. Statewide cuts to education, however, have led the district to reclaim the land for development projects.
The move to Foster Road is expected to take place over the next three years, but before anything can happen, the center has to raise about $2.1 million to pay for construction.
While she was originally daunted by the idea of moving, Goonetilleke said she’s now looking forward to it.
“I’m thrilled that we’ve been kicked into action, because building a new center is exciting. It’s going to open a lot of doors for us,” she said. “We’re going to be able to accommodate so many more classes, and we won’t have to deal with [the wear and tear] of an older facility.”
The center is working closely with 4th District Supervisor Joni Gray—who first suggested the land on Foster—and her staff to meet other building requirements.
“The seniors at the center know what they want. We’re more of a conduit and resource for them to get it through the building process,” said Alice Patino, Gray’s administrative assistant.
To start building, the center’s Environmental Impact Report has to be approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The site has been established as a natural habitat for two endangered species: the California tiger salamander and red-legged frog.
Goonetilleke said the center is doing everything possible to mitigate the service’s environmental concerns. The process will also be helped along, she said, because the center can get funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Once all the requirements are met, the project can move along.
But first, Goonetilleke said, center staffers and senior members have to raise the funds necessary to build. The benefit dinner, she said, is a great way for locals to invest in the community’s future.
“As much as children or people in the work force are a part of our society, senior citizens are, too,” Goonetilleke said. “Everyone is a part of the community.”
Contact Staff Writer Amy Asman at aasman@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 2, 2009.