Chris Villacorta, Director
713-663-3564
cvillacorta@svdp-edu.org
Arts and Crafts
Opportunities for arts and crafts are wide open, dependent only on the interest of the group and availability of an instructor. Various groups have learned caligraphy, collage, cartooning, knitting, crocheting, floral arrangement and the decorating of Ukranian Easter eggs.
Cards and Games 
Bridge, both intermediate and advanced, and Canasta are the two most popular card games among the seniors. Card games, which are scheduled every week, may include several regulars as well as visitors. Frequently joining the players are people receiving medical treatment at the Medical Center, visiting parents of parishioners, or family caregivers who need a break from their care of someone who is homebound. Card players welcome and mix with whoever comes. Coffee always is available, and regulars frequently bring snacks. Occasionally they celebrate a birthday.
Scrabble is the most popular game at present, but other games such as Mah Jong, Dominoes, and Rummikub may be started as interest is generated.
Computer Classes
More and more seniors are getting interested in learning how to do such things as surf the web, search for information, send and receive e-mail, and on-line banking. Computer classes are offered year round when an instructor is available.
If you would like to be an instructor, Chris Villacorta would be happy to hear from you at 713-663-3564.
Exercise for Seniors
T’ai Chi helps with balance, body awareness, and stress management. Both beginning and advanced classes are on-going.
Upbeats is an exercise program tailored for senior adults. Although it mainly includes chair exercises, it also may include line dancing and walking groups.
Language Studies
Language courses are open to anyone. Conversational English is taught to help people from other countries become acculturated to the area by learning unique local expressions. Foreign languages taught include Italian and Spanish, and French.
Movies
A quality movie is shown every other week or twice a month. Popcorn is always available. During the summer grandparents are invited to bring their grandchildren to special family movies and cool down with an ice cream sundae.
Study Groups
John Paul II Study Group meets weekly to read and discuss a variety of religious topics for spiritual growth. They may study church history, the Catholic Catechism, the papal encyclicals, or books by current authors. They use various media including videos, books, and audio tapes. After a guest speaker gave a talk about “Herbs in the Bible,” the speaker was invited back to speak on “Cooking with Biblical Herbs.”
Opera Just for Fun includes presentations of rare opera pieces with accompanying commentary by a man of extraordinary first-hand knowledge and experience with opera because his family owned an opera company. Another expert on opera from Washington, D.C., also comes for periodic presentations that may include a video presentation. A recent talk was on “Opera Pieces in Movies.”
Classes in music appreciation or history of music are held periodically as interest is generated and instructors are available.
Trips
Monthly trips are planned to take seniors to local, state, national, and international places of interest via air, land, or water. Tour schedules have included a cruise on the Mississippi River, a trip to Ireland, and a fall foliage tour in the northeast United States.
Tours within the state may include a trip to the state capital in Austin, the LBJ Library in Austin, the Bush Library near Texas A&M, Painted Churches, a boat tour of the Galveston Bay, or a tour of the country to see the Texas spring wild flowers. Local tours include museums and many historic and cultural sites. Some trips are taken just for shopping, such as antique shopping in the Heights. Every trip includes a meal in a restaurant unique to the area or one of general interest.
Ukulele Band 
The Sugar Sticks, a Ukulele Band directed by Herscella Franks, gives seniors an opportunity to use their musical talents to have fun among themselves and to make fun for others. They frequently are called upon to play for various groups around the city, many times in senior centers or nursing homes. They also have been called upon to play for a civic function in the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. Adding to their appeal is their large array of costumes and props interchanged during a program to fit the music. Their sprinkling of comedy and Herscella’s humor throughout their perfomance make for great entertainment.