About the Organization:
Tähti’s Social Club is a community of active, “mature” Caribbean adults who enjoy meaningful, culturally relevant activities. Tähti’s Social Club is not just a place to go, but a place to do. Whether it is a game of dominoes, Loodi (Ludi, Ludo), watching the game, engaging in a book or journal club, or just sitting around with “new” friends talking about cricket, you decide the activities you want to engage in.
About the Founder:
Dr. Aldridge is an occupational therapist, gerontologist, healthcare administrator, and United States Army Veteran. She has served the “mature adult” for over 20 years. She is a mom, an educator, a wife, a sister, an aunt, and a friend.
Tähti’s Social Club was born out of Dr. Aldridge’s personal experience. Her Jamaican mom, Brenda Reid (affectionately called “Tähti”), was an early retiree who was very active and lived with her, her husband, and her children for a time. Tähti enjoyed playing dominoes, ludi, cooking, and dancing to reggae or soca music. Whenever the conversation would come up, Tähti was against the idea of senior citizen centers, adult day clubs, or nursing homes. She saw them as a place for “old” people. Plus, in her opinion, those places were boring and too institutionalized.
Dr. Aldridge found herself in a situation many Caribbean middle-aged professionals face: Trying to balance work, caring for an aging parent, taking care of her children, and their education. In addition, she had to do thi ... view more »
About the Organization:
Tähti’s Social Club is a community of active, “mature” Caribbean adults who enjoy meaningful, culturally relevant activities. Tähti’s Social Club is not just a place to go, but a place to do. Whether it is a game of dominoes, Loodi (Ludi, Ludo), watching the game, engaging in a book or journal club, or just sitting around with “new” friends talking about cricket, you decide the activities you want to engage in.
About the Founder:
Dr. Aldridge is an occupational therapist, gerontologist, healthcare administrator, and United States Army Veteran. She has served the “mature adult” for over 20 years. She is a mom, an educator, a wife, a sister, an aunt, and a friend.
Tähti’s Social Club was born out of Dr. Aldridge’s personal experience. Her Jamaican mom, Brenda Reid (affectionately called “Tähti”), was an early retiree who was very active and lived with her, her husband, and her children for a time. Tähti enjoyed playing dominoes, ludi, cooking, and dancing to reggae or soca music. Whenever the conversation would come up, Tähti was against the idea of senior citizen centers, adult day clubs, or nursing homes. She saw them as a place for “old” people. Plus, in her opinion, those places were boring and too institutionalized.
Dr. Aldridge found herself in a situation many Caribbean middle-aged professionals face: Trying to balance work, caring for an aging parent, taking care of her children, and their education. In addition, she had to do this while her husband was away on military duties. Needless to say, Dr. Aldridge could not spend as much time as she would have liked with her mom. Therefore, Tähti was often alone at home just watching TV, although she craved socialization. Despite Dr. Aldridge’s search, the only alternative that would offer a community for this mature adult were the senior citizen centers, which Tähti refused to attend for the reasons mentioned above. Unfortunately, there were no centers for the active, mature, Caribbean adult that offered culturally relevant activities and a community of people with similar cultural backgrounds.
Tähti passed away in 2019. However, Dr. Aldridge continued her search for a solution that would help families similar to hers: middle-aged children, responsible for parents in the “mature adult” age group, and seeking to provide them with opportunities for fun and socialization that are age-appropriate and culturally relevant. When she did not find it, she decided to create it. Her journey and exploration led to the vision of Tähti’s Social Club, affectionately named after her mom.
While her mom can no longer benefit from her vision, Dr. Aldridge desires for you, your family, and your friends to experience Tähti’s Social Club. It is a community that offers active, mature, Caribbean adults an opportunity to experience:
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The power of socializing with people who are similar in age and culture
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The healing medicine called laughter as they enjoy fun cultural activities
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The joy of serving their community with their knowledge, ample experience, and talents!
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