Cecilia Laskoski is a member of Seniors Can Shumka, Silver Swans, a proud godmother of Zachary Wynnyk, (a Shumka dancer), and a donor to Shumka. She was a hospital pharmacist who worked for many years, terrified of retirement because it meant she wouldn’t be able to meet people anymore. Once she finally did retire, she wanted to get involved with something fun, something involving exercise, and something where she could give back. The Seniors Can Shumka program ticked all her boxes.

“It has been wonderful. When I came the first day, June Eeles was so gracious and welcoming. I walked in and everyone was so lovely, it seemed as if all your troubles were gone. We have so much fun and laugh a lot.

Cecilia was raised on a farm and would see girls that had a certain demeanor and carried themselves so well. She wondered how they did that and found out that many of them studied ballet. Later in life, she heard about Silver Swans through a British documentary where the program was started, and it outlined the benefits to aging, cognitive functioning, balance, and movement for seniors. “Next thing I knew, Tasha was talking about it and I thought it was really neat.”

“I have so much respect for Tasha. She is just amazing. I thought that because she teaches little kids, she could probably handle a bunch of seniors. We work very hard and we all respect Tasha, her background, talent, and experience and she gives us that, so we try to give everything back to her.”

“I know my Mom and Dad are appreciating everything Shumka is doing up in heaven. Especially the pride in what we do. I was so pleased when Tasha said we would be doing a presentation at an aging conference. We prepared and wore our shirts and Tasha was such a professional. She explained the warmups we do and invited everyone to join us. At first some didn’t want to join, but eventually they did because of our encouragement. A little lady ended up being my partner and she reminded me of my mother. She said, ‘I couldn’t have done it without you.’ She blossomed in front of my eyes and it was so incredibly rewarding.”

Thank you, Cecilia, for bringing us, and others, joy.