October 2026 

Calendar of Activities & Special Events

 VISIONS at Selis Manor

135 West 23rd Street, NY, NY 10011

646-486-4444

October 2026

Calendar of Activities & Special Events   

Location: 135 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011 Phone Number: 646-486-4444

Website: https://oac.visionsvcb.org

Office Closures & Half Days

Friday, October 9th (Half Day) 

• The office closes early at 12:30 PM.

• Lunch will be served from 11:30 AM to 12:15 PM.

• Double meals will be provided to cover the upcoming closure, so please pick yours up before 12:30 PM.

Monday, October 12th (Office Closed):

• The office is closed for Columbus Day.

• No meals will be served.

Event & Class Registration

• Registration for all October events begins Monday, September 28th.

• Call or stop by the office to sign up. 

• You must sign up for yourself; registering for others is not allowed.

• Sign-ups are strictly from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM for the week of September 28th.

• After the first week, sign up anytime during regular office hours.

• Book an appointment with a volunteer to review the calendar together.

• If you sign up for an event and cannot attend please tell the office.

OAC Website

• Visit oac.visionsvcb.org for updated information, calendars, and menus.

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Senior Expressions

Monday October 5th:  Speaker: Angel Perez, Office of Emergency Management:  Topic:  Ready New York

Monday October 12th:  Columbus Day, VISIONS is closed

Monday October 19th:  Speaker:  Rachelle Baptiste:  Topic:  VISIONS caregiver program

Monday October 26th:    New York City Fire Safety Unit:  Topic:  Fire Safety

Holiday Lunch

Thursday, October 15th.  

Celebrate Octoberfest at lunchtime - open to registered members of the Older Adult Center and Selis Tenants. 

Regular: Chicken Paprikash over whole wheat egg noodles

Veggie: Mushroom Paprikash over whole wheat egg noodles

Sides: Braised Red Cabbage; Roasted Carrots

New Workshop Alert

Meta AI Smartglasses Workshop

When: Mondays October 5th & October 19th 

Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Where: Computer Lab

Facilitator: Jose Ozuna

Join Jose for a 5 week Meta AI smartglasses workshop to explore the different functionalities of this quickly evolving technology. Participants for this session must have Meta AI smartglasses and must have a basic understanding of smartphone navigation. Please register ASAP as space is limited.

From Mask to Canvas: Create, Explore & Express Yourself Get ready to get creative! Visions is excited to welcome graduate students from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) Art Therapy Program for a special three-session art series designed to encourage creativity, self-expression, and exploration.

Over the course of three classes, you’ll create a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork, starting with a paper-mâché mask that you’ll design and decorate in your own style. Once your mask is complete, you’ll mount it onto a canvas board and transform the space around it using paint, color, patterns, textures, and other artistic elements. The result will be a unique mixed-media artwork that is completely your own!

The SVA students will be there to guide you through the process and help you bring your ideas to life.

• Tuesday Series: Attend three consecutive Tuesdays October 13, 20, 27 at 3:30 - 4:30 PM (WAITLIST)

• Wednesday Series: Attend three consecutive Wednesdays October  14, 21, 28 at 4:30 - 5:30 PM

Please plan to attend all three sessions, since each class will build upon the artwork you created in the previous session.

Please reach out to Liz C if you are interested and would like to sign up.

New Classes

The Tangible Poem - A Collage & Poetics Workshop

When: Wednesdays, October 28th- December 16th

Time:10am-11:30am

Where: Learning Center 1

Facilitator: Dave Johnson

We invite you to join us for The Tangible Poem - A Collage & Poetics Workshop with Teachers & Writers Collaborative and Dave Johnson on Wednesday mornings at 10 am, beginning October 28th - December 16th. 

The Tangible Poem - A Collage & Poetics Workshop is a poetry-in-physical-forms class that approaches language as a physical story and the image as a literal object. We will explore the intersection of the written, drawn & spoken line, considering story, dialogue, song, public space, placement on the page, and sculptural design. For our workshop, we will write and create tangible poems in the form of collage. We will provide some art materials, and we also suggest that you might gather your own personal items such as recycled newspapers, magazines, and favorite objects like buttons, keyrings, photos, travel notes, travel logs, maps, and mementos, like from weddings, graduations, honorings, homecomings, ceremonies, tributes, letters, and antique postcards, stamps, etc., with text or images, braille, or raised images, and in any language. You are welcome to bring anything that you feel will make your story and creation tangible. Class will be limited to 12 participants.

Braille for Beginners with Yvonne 

When: Mondays

Time:  1pm-2pm & 2pm-3pm

Where:  Meeting Room 2 

Facilitator: Yvonne Whitehurst

Are you completely new to Braille and eager to learn how to read and write from scratch? Join our Introductory Level 1 Braille Class to build a strong foundation! Designed specifically for beginners with no prior knowledge, this class focuses on practical, everyday skills to help you navigate daily life with confidence. What You Will Learn:

• Basic Reading & Writing: Master elementary Braille, numbers, and punctuation (commas, periods, and exclamation points).

• Practical Life Skills: Learn how to write and read phone numbers, home addresses, and important appointments.

• Organization: Practice making your own labels and taking quick, accessible notes.

The Great Comedy Sunshine Hour

When: Mondays

Time: 5:30pm - 6:30pm  

Where: Virtual/ Zoom Call only

Facilitator: Evie Aronson

Turn Monday into FUN Day!  This workshop uses Theater Games as a basis for fun and laughter.   These games will challenge your mind with memorization, rhyming, spontaneity, quick thinking, creativity, and imagination.   Everyone brings their unique experiences to make up stories and create characters in different scenarios such as on a cruise ship, at a baseball game, or in a forest—anywhere our imagination takes us.  One day we might be creating an advertising jingle; the next week we might be singing at a karaoke bar or working in a hair salon…no workshop is the same! Join us for an hour of Laughter Therapy with Workshop Leaders Evie Aronson and Mere Davis. Please email Diana if you would like the call in information.

Monthly Class Offerings

Feel The Beat - Dance Class -soul & funk

When: Friday, October 2nd

Time: 10:00 - 11:00 AM

Where:  Auditorium

Facilitator: Feel The Beat and Liz C

The Lab - Rescheduled event

When: Tuesday, October 6th 

Where: Auditorium

Time: 10:30 - 11:30 AM

Facilitator: Liz C

The event from September 8th is rescheduled.  You will receive your herb garden kit and we will put it together.  If you signed up for the 9/8 event, your spot has been reserved.  Limit 20 people.

Percussion with Passion

September 16th - December 16th every Wednesday

Time: 10:30 - 11:45 AM 

Where: LC 3

Facilitator: Dalys Torres

Discover the Joy of Castanets! Join us for a fun and engaging castanet class designed specifically for those with limited mobility. Learn: Basic techniques and rhythms, How to create beautiful and expressive music. Benefits: Improve fine motor skills, Boost cognitive function and memory, Connect with a vibrant community of music enthusiasts. No experience necessary! All levels are welcome. 

Cane Clinic 

When: Thursday, October 15th

Time: 12:30 - 3:00 PM

Where: Auditorium

Facilitator: Bill Hixson and the Orientation and Mobility Specialists

Is it time for a new cane or tip? Are you interested in trying out a new option? When was the last time that you worked with a mobility specialist? Our knowledgeable staff will be here to answer your questions and take your orders! Open to all, please be sure to sign up.

FEEL THE BEAT - HIP HOP CLASS

When: Friday, October 16th

Where: Auditorium

Time: 10:00 - 11:00 AM

Facilitator: Feel the Beat/ Liz C

Move to the groove, come for fun and exercise.  Can be done with a chair or standing and no experience necessary.  

Ambassador Program

When: Monday, October 19th

Time: 10:00 - 11:00 AM

Where: Library

Facilitator: Liz Campanile

Ambassadors only - Ambassadors please let me know if you CANNOT attend.

Visions Feud & Hot Cocoa

When: Wednesday October 21st

Time: 10:15am - 11:30am

Where: Auditorium

Facilitator: Phillip Keys

Join us for Hot Cocoa and a friendly game of visions feud as two teams face off. Want to play? Get a team of 5 And Submit a team name. Interested in playing but do not have a team? Contact Phillip Keys at ext 223 

Josh’s Movie Club

When: Thursday October 22nd

Time: 2:45 - 5:00 PM

Where: Conference Room

Facilitator: Josh Castillo

We’re back! Grab some snacks, settle in, and enjoy an awesome film (TBD). Limited to 15 participants.

Halloween Themed Pizza Party Social & Spooky Stories

When: Friday, October 30th

Time: 2:00 - 3:15 PM

Where: Auditorium

Facilitator: New York Cares and Diana Cruz

Get ready for a night of treats, tales, and tasty slices! Come hungry for pizza and ready for some spooky storytelling. Want to add to the fun? Come dressed as your favorite character! (Costumes are welcome but not mandatory). Reserved for Selis tenants and registered Older Adult Center members. Only 40 are available. Sign up at the front desk before they fill up!

Senior Council Monthly Meeting

When: Wednesday, October 21st 

Time: 4:00 - 5:00 PM

Where: Virtual

Facilitator: Yvonne Whitehurst, Senior Council Chair

Join our Senior Council and help shape the future of our center! The Council brings together members who care about strengthening our programs, activities, and community life. Members can participate in committees such as Fundraising, Programs, and Food, contributing their ideas and experience where it matters most. The Council holds its general meeting on the third Wednesday of each month at 3:15 PM, and all interested members are welcome to attend. To learn more or sign up, please reach out to Diana at ext 215 for more information.

Trip to Poster House Museum

When: Monday, October 26th

Time: Leaving VISIONS lobby at 11 AM (Tour is 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM)

Where: Poster House Museum

Facilitator: Liz C

In-Person Vibrant Verbal Description Tour: Designed to Be Read

Mythmakers and marketing teams have long used graphic design to tell stories about Native Americans, First Nations, Métis, Alaska Natives, and other Indigenous peoples rather than with them, creating reductive, inaccurate, and harmful representations of a living, vibrant, and varied group of people. 

Despite this, Native graphic art has a rich history that shows that its practitioners are not merely subjects of design but shapers of it—innovators who have created dynamic, subversive, and optimistic work despite centuries of cultural obliteration, land theft, and socio-economic marginalization. Through examples spanning nearly two centuries and representing over 60 tribes and nations, this exhibition reveals and celebrates design histories that have always existed alongside, despite, and in resistance to dominant colonial narratives, illustrating the full spectrum of Native life.  Limit 15 members.

Textured Fall Tree Craft

When: Tuesday, October 27th

Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Where: Auditorium

Facilitator: Liz Campanile/Ann DeShazo/Amedicare

Celebrate the beauty of autumn by creating your own Textured Fall Tree! Using yarn, fabric, felt, tissue paper, and other tactile materials, we’ll build a colorful fall tree filled with texture and dimension. Choose your favorite autumn colors, create your own unique design, and bring a little bit of fall indoors. No artistic experience necessary — just come ready to create and have fun! (10 members)

Looking Ahead

Friendsgiving with New York Cares

When: Thursday November 12th

Time: TBD

Where: Auditorium

Food Pantry

• When: Wednesdays, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.

• How: Just stop by the main office. 

Volunteer Appointments (No Walk-Ins)

• Monday through Friday, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.

• Evening Hours: Starting at 5:00 PM.

• To Book: Contact Ann De Shazo at extension 225 or Liz Campanile extension 213 to schedule an appointment.

Case Assistance & Applications

• By appointment only—please call the office to book.

• Services Available: Paperwork assistance (faxing, copies, forms), benefits (HEAP, Medicaid, Medicare, Homecare), recertifications, money identifier applications, and mail reading.

  • Phyllis: Mondays, Tuesdays, & Thursdays (Benefits, recertifications, and forms only.)

  • Rocky: Tuesdays

  • Carmen: Wednesdays & Thursdays (VCB Applications)

Meal Service Policies & Updates

• To meet NYC Aging regulations, you must be present to receive breakfast and lunch. Friends, family, or home attendants cannot pick up meals for you.

• Our new catering vendor is officially active! Please keep sharing your feedback on the new menu with us.

Voluntary Contributions

• Contributions during meal times are entirely voluntary, and choosing not to contribute will never affect your access to meals, classes, or events.

• Please note that the contribution box has been relocated from the auditorium to ensure complete anonymity. While contributions are always appreciated, they are never required to participate in classes or receive a meal.

• If you would like to make a contribution at any time, you are always welcome to stop by the office to drop it off.

Join Our Email List

• What You Get: The monthly menu, event calendars, and center announcements sent straight to your inbox.

• How to Join: Send an email request to Jose at jozuna@visionsvcb.org.

Current Services & Class Offerings

• Support groups

• Fitness Classes, open gym

• Creative Arts Classes

• Technology Classes

• nutrition groups

• Spanish speaking groups

• Information and advocacy

• Volunteers & Readers 

• Farmers Market vouchers, Seasonal Produce Bag

• Daily Meal Service *Vegetarian options offered daily - breakfast and lunch

• Benefits and Case Assistance