SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The year was 1998. As for the date, they are not too sure.
Nowadays, even the earliest members, nicknamed los primeros, struggle to recall. But they do know, the group started on a Wednesday, with 33 people and one rule: no English allowed.
At the time, Maria Lueras, then-program coordinator for the city of Sacramento, saw a desire for older Latinos to socialize in Spanish.
“They needed a place to gather and speak their native language,” said Lueras, now-84.
Thus, Lueras and 32 seniors gathered in the 670-square-foot Cypress room of the Hart Senior Center. And Manitos, short for hermanito or little brother, was born.
Twenty five years later, members ranging from 60 to 100 continue to meet every Wednesday. Membership has ebbed and flowed over the years, most notably decreasing after the pandemic. Only 13 of los primeros remain. But with an average of 70 seniors, the group moved its gatherings to the center’s larger Redwood East room many years ago.
While the group’s one rule is now less enforced, the primary goal remains socialization.
Though for some members, Manitos have evolved to much more than just a weekly outing. Many, including 83-year-old Martha Flores, have found joy in connecting to their Latino roots and forming lifelong friendships.
“Thanks to this group we have found friends, had happy times and we continue every Wednesday because we consider Manitos our second home,” Flores said.
A space to speak and learn Spanish
Most Wednesdays begin the same, with 83-year-old Liberato Correa strumming his guitar and the voices of members filling the center’s halls. On a recent morning in early July, Correa led the group in a rendition of “De Colores,” the traditional Spanish language folk song.
Music is just one of the ways the group shares culture. As the day progresses, members help each other practice Spanish.
Clara Chapala, who leads the exercise classes, occasionally requests help during the fitness portion of the meeting.
“Como se dice heel and toe,” Chapala, 87, said, asking that members translate the words that she’s leading them in moving.
“Tacón y dedo,” the crowd yells back.
The group includes some second and third-generation Latinos, who don’t speak Spanish as proficiently as their parents. For them, Manitos has provided a space to practice their language.
Current Manitos president Antonia Lopez, a third-generation Mexican, is among those individuals. At 74, she calls herself one of the “babies” and attributed the weekly gatherings for improving her Spanish.
“They help me, correct me continually and give me better words to say,” Lopez said.
But others, like 100-year-old Josefina DaVila, have no choice but to speak Spanish. As the group’s oldest member and a native of Mexico, her English is limited.
Lopez said Manitos are particularly important for members like DaVila. Each year, the group does an in-house survey asking why members continue to attend.
“Many say because they don’t have anyone to talk with,” Lopez said. “They live with their children or grandchildren, but they speak English.”
Activities later in the day also serve their purpose.
When they dance to cumbias, members are able to actively move their bodies. Then around lunchtime, they hold an auction of clothing donated by members. Money raised goes toward their annual outings, which include picnics and trips to the group’s favorite restaurant Golden Corral.
Each day typically ends with yells of excitement from their weekly game of loteria, similar to bingo. The game of chance has evidence of health benefits. Members often want to continue playing past the designated time.
“We have to run them out of the room,” Lopez said.
Generations of friends
Lopez joined Manitos in 2016 with her mother, who had just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Even with a fleeting memory, the group became a safe haven. Lopez recalls her mother’s face lighting up whenever the group sang.
“It was such a warm space for her,” Lopez said. “She transformed. She smiled.”
It’s been four years since her mother passed, and Lopez continues with the group in part to keep her memory alive. She’s not alone.
Pablo Espinoza, a Sacramento resident, appears at the gatherings every few months despite losing his father in 2019. Espinoza said the group welcomed his father during the onset of his dementia, and helped him get through the tough times with singing and dancing.
“For me this place represents much more than an organization for older people,” Espinoza said. “When I come here, my heart beats in a different way. It’s almost as if my dad was still singing the songs.”
Those lasting relationships are why many people in the group liken Manitos to a family. Multiple members characterized the social outing as the highlight of their week, and pointed to each other as the main reason why they continue attending.
“It’s the greatest accomplishment of my life besides my four children,” Lueras said.
Manitos success has not gone unnoticed. Over the years, the group has expanded to two other locations — a second at Sam and Bonnie Pannell Community Center in South Sacramento and third at the Robertson Community Center in North Sacramento.
Manitos was honored in late June with a City Council resolution that already is proudly displayed outside their meeting room. At a gathering later this month to celebrate the group’s 25th anniversary, the California Department of Aging will also send a representative.
“It’s a small program, but it’s had a ripple effect on so many people and families and our community,” said Susan DeMarois, director of the California Department of Aging.
The anniversary celebration is on the minds of many members that morning in early July. They’re chatting about the special guests attending — council members Eric Guerra and Katie Valenzuela. They’re looking forward to the dancing. They’re ready to celebrate with their friends.
“It’s about our members and what they have meant to each other,” Lopez said.
