With beads, string and scissors in hand, it’s jewelry-making day at the Jacob Riis Queensbridge Older Adult Center.

Dorothy Grant assists seniors in making bracelets, while Shirley Mitchell guides them in creating feather jewelry. Every week, the sisters help dozens of older adults craft pieces they can wear or share with the community.

"We might have arthritis in our fingers,” Mitchell said. “So it might take a little more effort to do it. But we can do that. And then when we do it, we feel proud."

Grant began volunteering at the center 15 years ago, continuing a family tradition of community service.

“My mother taught sewing, and my father was with the men's club, and they all played bingo,” Grant said. “So we do it in the spirit of that memory.”

Mitchell joined the class seven years ago, bringing 46 years of experience as a pattern artist.

“I would always tell her, 'Okay, you can use this material, I'm doing that class. You could use this and that,’” Mitchell said. “And then I said, ‘Well, as soon as I retire, I'm going to come in.’”

Over the years, the Queensbridge natives have made hundreds of bracelets and feather pins, using any materials they can find.

“We have bracelets that we made from the handles of shopping bags,” Mitchell said. “We shape them into a circle, cover them with masking tape, and slice up old fabric.”

While they enjoy collaborating, the sisters admit they don’t always agree during the creative process.

"Sometimes we would work on one, and then I want it to be blue, and she wants it to be red,” Grant said, as her sister laughed in agreement. “So this way, she can just do whatever she wants to do; she can explode."

For the sisters, the classes are a way to honor their parents' memory.

"When I walk into the center, I feel my mother and my father here,” Grant said. “This is what they would want to do. So we are extending their passion.”

For their dedication in helping seniors keep their creative skills sharp and for continuing their family's tradition of service, Dorothy Grant and Shirley Mitchell are our New Yorkers of the Week.