For the residents of Capstone Village Retirement Community, this week is filled with activities to celebrate Active Aging Week.

Rene Katsinas, director of residential services at Capstone Village, said Active Aging Week is an international event hosted by Cooperative Retirement Services of America that aims to engage retirement community residents in activities they would not normally do. Residents get points for attending events, and Capstone Village competes with other communities that are a part of CRSA.

The theme of Active Aging Week this year is Passport to the World, Katsinas said. Events during the week include belly dancing, French couture scarf weaving and an African drum ensemble performance.

Katsinas said this is the third year Capstone Village has participated in Active Aging Week, and the amount of activities continues to grow. Katsinas oversees all of this week’s events.

“We have events from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.,” Katsinas said. “We are really stretching out the events. We have some residents that are coming to every single event.”

Katsinas has worked to incorporate many student groups in this week.

“This is the third year the African drum ensemble has participated,” Katsinas said. “The Student Alumni Association is also helping out.”

Jane Griffin has been a resident for three years and has participated in Active Aging Week each year.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Griffin said. “We compete with other retirement homes and Rene wants us to win the competition this year.”

Capstone Village won the first year that it participated and hopes to win again this year.

Griffin has liked learning about different cultures this week.

“I’m one of those that likes to participate. It’s great just being on the campus and being with the young people,” Griffin said.

So far, some of the activities Griffin has participated in have been attending the Bon Voyage party on Sunday and belly dancing on Monday.

“I might have looked silly, but I enjoyed [belly dancing],” Griffin said.

Students meet with the residents and discuss a variety of different cultures. The special study on Monday was on the Middle East.

“It was really interesting. The student [who spoke] had been to the Middle East and knew a lot about it,” Griffin said.

Thanks to the collaboration of local vendors and businesses, residents receive prizes at some events, according to Katsinas.

The week began on Sept. 19 and ends on Sept. 25. For Katsinas and the residents of Capstone Village, Active Aging Week is a nice change from the ordinary.