They missed out on their quinceañera when they were 15. Decades later, they make up for lost time. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
August 7, 2023
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the address of the United Community Center’s Senior Center.
As they shared their life histories, members of the sewing group at the United Community Center’s Senior Center realized they had more in common than a joy for stitching and embroidering fabric.
Fifteen of them never had a quinceañera, or quince, a Latin American cultural celebration that marks the transition of a 15-year-old girl into a young woman.
“It was more of a dream for us,” said Sonia Castro, 75, adding that her family in Puerto Rico was large and couldn’t afford one.
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Guadalupe Schneider, of Mexico City, also wished for a quinceañera as her 15th birthday neared.
“I dreamed of having a party, but I didn’t have that many friends or the family situation to have one,” she said.
That all changed recently, as the group of seniors wore gowns and tiaras, danced and celebrated their decades-delayed quinceañeras.
“It was like a dream come true,” Castro said. “I felt nerves in my stomach like I was 15 years old.”
Migdalia Estela, 76, who was married with children by the time she turned 15 in her native Puerto Rico, said the event taught her to not give up on dreams.
“Don’t give up. It’s never too late,” said Estela, who carried a group picture from the dance in her purse.
More than 120 seniors make their way daily to the United Community Center’s Senior Center, 730 W. Washington St., to participate in a number of activities offered there, according to elderly programs manager Ana Castaneda. They include sewing, exercise, dominoes and sitting down to enjoy free meals together, she added.
The United Community Center, also known as the UCC, provides senior day care for those who live with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia and the only memory clinic in southeast Wisconsin that provides Spanish-speaking staff.
The goal of the center, Castaneda said, is “to give a better quality of life to people and help them be active so they can see how it helps their bodies and minds feel so much better.”
Planning the quince began more than eight months ago and included choosing decorations for the event, dance rehearsals and the recruitment of chambelanes, or male companions for the event. Chambelanes included family members of the women, police officers from Districts 1,2, and 7 and staff from UCC, including a bus driver and custodian.
As they worked on the logistics, the sewing group, led by its instructor Vicki Vasquez, helped the woman prepare their dresses. Some created their own from scratch, while others added accessories to personalize dresses they obtained.
Carmen Roman, 70, said she was gifted a dress that was from a young woman who never got a chance to wear it.
“As I wore it, I thought of her,” she said.
Vasquez said the sewing group and other activities offered at UCC provide an escape for seniors who often felt isolated at home.
“Here we are like family and all come together to have fun,” she said.
Maria Rosario Gonzalez joined the group eight years ago to help escape her depression.
“I sat at home staring at four walls until I heard of this group,” said Rosario Gonzalez, who wore a tiara gifted to her by her granddaughter during the event. “Coming here revived me.”
The quinceañera fulfilled a fantasy for many of them who had hard lives and missed out on those types of experiences, Vasquez said.
“Many of the women were so happy they cried,” she said. “I cried too because their dream came true.”
Not all had bad memories or regrets from their 15th birthday. Socorro Robles, 74, said that day she wore a white dress, went to church and celebrated with a small cake and her family later on. The highlight of her day was that her mother allowed her to wear lipstick.
Still, finally having a bigger quince is something the youngest of eight children from Jalisco, Mexico, will always cherish.
“It was perfect, memorable and beautiful,” she said.
Catalina Flores, 76, will remember it as the day her 46-year-old son Pedro came from Virginia to be her chambelan.
“That made me so happy,” Flores said. “It was an emotional day, and we all looked so beautiful with our dresses.”
Ramona Rosado, 67,  said seeing her family also made her day.
“My grandson told me: ‘Grandma, I’m so happy for you because I’ve never seen you so happy,’ ” Rosado said.
Roman said she hopes the event reminds those at UCC and the broader community that although their bodies may have changed, many seniors are still beautiful, young at heart, and have many dreams they hope to achieve.
“If you know someone who never had a quince let them know it is still possible,” she said.