Local News in Brief : Santa Ana : Asian Senior Center Receives a Blessing

Three Vietnamese elders burned incense and prayed before a traditional altar Wednesday to bless a 30,000-square-foot lot that eventually will be the home of a new senior center.

Construction of the two-story Asian Senior Acculturation Center on 1st Street is scheduled to begin in April, according to Tuong Duy Nguyen, executive director of the Vietnamese Community of Orange County Inc., which will operate the center.

The nonprofit organization, currently located at 3701 W. McFadden Ave., will move its offices to the building, he said.

Mayor Dan Young and State Sen. Edward Royce (R-Anaheim) were among the officials who attended Wednesday’s one-hour ground-breaking ceremony.

The 7,000-square-foot center is scheduled to open early next year and will provide meals and activities for up to 150 seniors, Nguyen said. The center, which will be open to people of all nationalities, will also offer English classes and attempt to familiarize foreign seniors with Western traditions and laws, he said.

Nguyen said one aim of the center is to help recently immigrated seniors enter the mainstream of life in the United States. He estimated that 7,200 of the 120,000 Vietnamese in Orange County are 60 or older.

About half the center’s estimated construction cost of $930,000 will come from state and local grants, Nguyen said. The balance will be raised by the organization.