Carmen Arnez, 66, is a mother of two and a grandmother of three. She grew up in Bolivia and later moved with her family to the United States. She and her husband, now citizens, are recently retired. Arnez has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, worked as an administrative assistant in the Washington area and now volunteers at the diocesan Catholic Charities St. Martin de Porres Senior Center.
Arnez had a lot of advice for young people. “They should listen to their parents” and not give up, she said. “Trust their dreams and especially take advantage of everything that you have here. Study as much as you can, prepare yourself for the future.” Finally, she advised young people to do things in this order — study, work, get married and then have kids.
Gloria Perry, 77, grew up in Washington. She has four children, 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. She worked as a secretary and was a seamstress. “I made practically everything,” she said. She enjoys coming to St. Martin de Porres to keep her mind active, and advises seniors to join a program if they can. “Don’t sit at home,” she said.
Her advice to young people is: “Continue to go to school, finish school. Move on to college if you can afford it. Look straight ahead, don’t look back. If you make a mistake and decide to go straight again, do so. Definitely don’t do drugs.”
Kathryn Hunter, 85, was born and raised in Virginia. She has eight children and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She previously worked as a nurse assistant in nursing homes. Her husband, who was a civil rights activist, died in 1979.
“Stay in school,” Hunter told young people. “That’s the most important thing. Follow through.”
Manijeh Mojahed (left) and Homa Ahmadi, senior center participants and Iranian immigrants, declined to give their ages. “This is sacred,” said Ahmadi, who translated for her friend Mojahed. Ahmadi has three children, two grandchildren and worked as an esthetician. Mojahed has three children and five grandchildren and used to teach.
Both love coming to the senior center and appreciate the employees who run it. “Here is perfect,” said Ahmadi.
“My advice is to work hard, don’t waste time, do a lot of exercise, enjoy yourselves without hurting anybody and listen to your parents,” said Ahmadi. “Don’t be friends with the bad guys because they will waste your life and your future. And be good parents for future children because everything begins from the home.”
Mojahed advised young people to treasure their youth. “Enjoy your youth and your health. Be careful of everything in your life, especially of your health because your youth goes away like the wind,” she said.
Bonnie Bartoletti, 74, is a native of Pittsburgh and a volunteer at St. Martin de Porres. “I was raised on a dirt road with nothing,” she said. “My mother was a widow at 28. My father lost a hand and an arm in the Second World War, then he died of a brain tumor at age 30. So we had to make do with whatever we had.”
She worked as a dental hygienist for 50 years and her husband worked in management for Westinghouse, which moved them around the country. Bartoletti, who attends Our Lady, Queen of Peace Church in Arlington, calls her daughter the joy of her life. “I lost one before her, one after her and almost lost her. I was in bed for months. She’s my prize.” She also has two grandchildren, who made sure she left the house with two yellow smiley face stickers.
Her advice for young people is to seize the day. “Do everything you want to do while you’re still healthy and can enjoy it and pay for it. Do it now, don’t wait. (Waiting) doesn’t get you anywhere.”
Mildred Blake Knapp, 99, is a parishioner of St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Clifton. She grew up in Massachusetts in an Irish Catholic family. While working as a secretary at the Army Security Agency, she met her husband, who had recently returned from the war in Korea. The two were married in 1958 and had one daughter and two grandchildren. His work for Mobil moved them around the country. They also loved to travel, and visited 28 countries. They were married for nearly 60 years before he died in 2018. She’s looking forward to celebrating her 100th birthday with her family on Thanksgiving day.
Her advice for young people was — “Go to school, get educated and no drugs.”
