Selina Ng, the Director of the Senior Center, believes that RISA is doing well mainly because of Dolores's efforts.  "Dolores is extremely personable.  She can relate to people of any nationality and make them feel welcome.  The cultural diversity of the Center has grown because of her openness and her quest to include everyone," says Selina.

"I love being the center of attraction.  I have never been shy and have always loved being on stage.  I wanted to become an actress and took part in every school play I could.  In my junior-high-school yearbook, I was voted most talented student.  I like to do things that keep me in the midst of all the action," admits the 61-year old Dolores.  "RISA gives me the perfect opportunity to be myself."

Born and raised in the Bronx, Dolores took a few business courses at Fordham University after graduating from high school.  She got married in 1958 and then became a full-time mother as she raised four children.  "I became a typist at the State Insurance Fund when my youngest child was six years old.  The plan was to work for six months, but the money was good so I stayed for thirty years," says Dolores.  "I got separated from my husband but I kept my job."

Raising four kids and working full-time kept Dolores amply busy, but she did make time to set up a modeling agency called the Voluptuous Ladies.  "I have been heavy all my life but somehow I never had low self-esteem.  When I met women who got depressed because they were large, I would wonder why.  In 1979, I formed a group and we modeled for women's magazines.  We were doing well, but then one of my sons passed away and I lost interest."

This interest was rekindled when Dolores became part of the Senior Center and started organizing fashion shows for the seniors.  "Just because we are old does not mean that we cannot look good and alluring.  We still like doing the things we enjoyed doing when we were young.  It is just that we do them a lot slower now," says Dolores.

The other manifestation of her interest in good grooming is that Dolores is an Avon cosmetics representative.  "It helps me meet a lot of people and gives me an opportunity to talk to different types of people on the Island.  I have customers in the hospitals.  More than anything else, it helps me keep busy."

That is not to say that Dolores lacks things to do.  The Senior Center is where she can be found every day, noon onwards.  "I co-ordinate trips, write letters and organize meetings with people of the community.  The most important job of all, however, is to listen to people.  I listen not only to the seniors' demands and complaints but also to the stories of their lives.  I have realized over the years that, despite being from different countries, we are not all that different.  Our lives have been similar.  I was just talking to an 89-year-old Italian woman, and realized that our experiences were not dissimilar at all.  Had I been sitting across from her in the subway, I would have thought there would be nothing in common between us, but the more we talked, the more we found common strands," she says.

In order to build bridges, Dolores has embarked on what she calls her "cultural quest." "I am making every effort to ensure that all the holidays of the different ethnic groups are celebrated and that we learn about one another's cultures.  The cultural diversity of the Island is something to be celebrated, and that will happen only if we take the time to listen to each other.  When people don't bother listening to one another, prejudices arise.  People often get passionate about what is different from their point of view.  I believe that you should not get upset if it does not hurt you.  For the success of the projects on the Island, people should fight together for what they want, not against one another," says Green.

Going into a pensive mood, Green admits that she hates politics of any kind.  "I like to avoid unpleasantness.  I watch only comedies and try not to be bothered by the news.  We have all had hard lives, and it is time now to relax and enjoy ourselves.  The seniors have all had tragedies in their lives but, when they come down to the Center, I want them to be happy.  We need our peace of mind."

Grace Wilson, Dolores's friend of 30 years, says that Dolores is a good person who loves doing what she does.  "Her work at the Senior Center is a labor of love.  She is intelligent and respects people for what they are.  She keeps you laughing so that you are never depressed when you are around her.  She can take a serious situation and bring levity to it."

"I am a dreamer of sorts," says Green.  "I look at the world through rose-tinted glasses.  My personal dream is to give up smoking.  For the Island, I pray that it remains a safe haven in the middle of Manhattan."