The Tablet Staff

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — St. Charles Jubilee Senior Center in Brooklyn Heights, which is run by Catholic Charities of Brooklyn & Queens, had a special party on July 17.

That’s the day it celebrated the 100th birthday of Vivian Levy, a longtime member of the center who grew up in Brooklyn Heights and who has lived a life of service, dedicating herself to causes larger than her own.

The mother of three was a social activist. She marched for civil rights and protested the Vietnam War and against nuclear weapons. She remembers how she balanced motherhood and activism.

“I had three children,” Levy said. “I had a baby in a carriage, and I collected signatures against the nuclear war. I remember just pushing the carriage and collecting signatures.”

After her husband’s death and with a suggestion of a friend, Levy joined St. Charles Jubilee Senior Center in 2011.

“This is a wonderful center,” she said. “We went on so many wonderful trips — museum trips,  garden trips. I think this is a wonderful thing that seniors can partake in. It opens so many wonderful things for seniors to do.”

On July 17, Levy was honored in the center’s cafeteria with a birthday celebration, surrounded by family and friends, another milestone in a full life.