Club 65 – A Day Trip to Laporte/Keemah

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By Jaseem Pasha MD

HOUSTON: Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!” Who doesn’t love a good picnic on a nice warm sunny day with yummy snacks, a good book, and a bottle of lemonade? But a picnic is more than eating a meal; it is a pleasurable sate of mind.

Saturday, March 29, was the day for the Houstonian Seniors of Club 65 to venture out on a day trip. This time it was a picnic at Laporte/Keemah.

All the members eagerly got together at the Bayland community Center in Houston at 9 AM. The bus was ready and waiting. It was promptly filled up and we were off on our way for a day of fun and frolic with the help of all the volunteers pitching in for a smooth take off.

The picnic location was the beautiful Sylvan Park in La Porte. It was easy to embrace the sunshine and the sea front with the green grass adjacent to lovely sandy beach. The seniors strolled on the beach, enjoying the warmth of the sun and refresh in the breeze.

The games kept some members on their toes. Some enjoyed playing Beanbag toss and standing ‘Musical chairs’, but many had a whale of a time playing Antakshari. Some seniors just basked in the morning sun or explored the surrounding area.

Latafath Hussain, President IMAGH, Rahat Kalle, Vice President Club 65 and all the volunteers—who helped did a wonderful job to make this picnic a success.

The members of SAYA –the youth organization were invited as guests. The main idea was to connect the younger generation with the seniors to build bridges and create a way to have the seniors impart their life experiences and knowledge to keep the youth informed of their culture and traditions.

Also, the SAYA members could help Club 65 members by ‘adopting’ a senior. This would entail helping the senior in various ways – especially those who cannot drive or are restricted in some way.

Kaka, very thoughtfully and kindly, dedicated a song to Parveen Sayed (volunteer), who was back after a long break to get through her Dentistry school. Everybody appreciated her as a valued volunteer for helping with the games and singing Antakshari on the bus.

Asghar Bhai did a fantastic job with the food. The snacks and sandwiches were made with such care by his wife Yasmin. Everyone loved it.

Then came the sumptuous hamburgers that were grilled by Mustafa Gomberwala and others. Zayd Husain, Latafath’s son and SAYA member personally baked several different cakes by himself. The members had a great time enjoying all this wonderful food.

Club 65 is a non-profit organization under the umbrella of IMAGH (Indian Muslims of Greater Houston). To find out more about Club 65 or to become a member, please visit, www.imagh.org or call Paru Mcguire at 440-390-1763.