Seniors at The Terrace at First Colony were touched by the recent happenings in Haiti and decided to help raise money to help. They placed a collection box in the dining room for two days, collecting $515. From left are Betty Frazier, 63, Paul Schgmidlin, 83, executive director Todd Werthman and John Romere, 79, president, The Terrace at First Colony Residence Association. Suzanne Rehak photoThe surface atop the piano at the Terrace at First Colony in Sugar Land has a vacant space to house its next token of love.

Located in the center of the dining hall at the senior independent living community, the instrument provides the prime location for residents to show support for philanthropic causes, both locally and abroad.

The 269-room apartment complex houses 290 seniors and offers activities within its Forever Fit! and LiveWell! programs including Mind Aerobics, Stretchercise and Wii activity games.

The piano, now adorned with an arrangement of fresh-cut flowers, remains the center focal point for residents who pass by it during mealtimes.

However, John Romere, president of the community’s residents association, said it’s only a matter of time before he sets out the Terrace’s rectangular-shaped box to collect another donation.

"Sometimes when people pass away here, they’ll put a single rose on the piano with a little note by a picture of the person who passed away," Romere, 79, said.

Romere, a resident of The Terrace since 2007, first learned of the 4-by-6-inch box when he contributed his first donation to fund Christmas gifts for the center’s hourly paid staff during his first year at the center.

The box, which is kept in the business office at the center when not in use, has been used by the Terrace for more than two years and is brought out for different fundraisers and wrapped to fit the occasion.

Today, Romere remains involved with a variety of resident-driven community outreach projects, and led a campaign that raised $515 for earthquake victims in Haiti on Jan. 21-22.

Residents at the complex receive education and awareness training from doctors and service organizations throughout the community and have organized a Feb. 12 Valentine-themed luncheon for Sugar Land Fire Department members.

The residents will hold a private Accordion Club Valentine program on Feb. 14 with a potluck and resident dinner to celebrate the closeness they share.

Barbara and Virgil Harris, residents at the center since 2007, said that Valentine’s Day gives them a chance to reflect on their 60-year marriage as well as their continued service to the Fort Bend community.

The Harrises, who wed in 1949, have worked as volunteers with the East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry since it began in 1990 and work with the congregation at the Christ United Methodist Church to further reach those who are in need of assistance.

The couple volunteers in the East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry food pantry every other Tuesday and holds a food drive at the Terrace every three months to help sustain the pantry’s supply.

"He works with me I the backfilling orders and anything else that they ask us to do," Barbara Harris, 79, said.

"Its not very glamorous, but when we get through and go home, we know that someone is going to eat that night."

Aside from the resident food drive and in-house collection projects, those who live at the center participate in other programs throughout the year such as Adopt a Soldier and Be a Santa to a Senior.

The efforts show a push for the seniors to celebrate their genuine connection and facilitate friendships that last far beyond the stories heard around the piano.

"The residents are very active, they’re very involved here," Betty Frazier, 63, said. "We may be a small community, but we have a great heart."