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News & Press Releases

Second Chance Thrift Shop Wins World's Best... Again!

6/9/2025

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Award certificate for World's Best Thrift Store
We've known for a few weeks now but weren't able to make this announcement until the official awards ceremony hosted by the Wenatchee World: The Second Chance Thrift Shop has been awarded World's Best Thrift Store for the 8th year in a row.

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Funding Obstacles - Exploring Solutions

6/5/2025

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Presented to the WVSAC Board of Directors by Jim Tarbert, Board Member and Expansion Committee Chair
North Tempe Multi-Generations Center
Many communities in Arizona, recognizing the need to become more inclusive, have built multi-generational centers in lieu of senior centers. While there are still plenty of programs for seniors, there are also opportunities for younger generations, as well as activities to encourage interaction between younger and older groups. Photo credit: City of Tempe.

​Please note: The following was presented to the Senior Center Board of Directors on May 19. It is for discussion purposes only. No decisions have been made.

We did not secure a grant from the 2025 State Capital Budget, despite having been told we would qualify. To find out why, we are meeting with advisors — including Rep. Mike Steele, on June 10.

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Thrift Shop Success Comes at a Cost

6/5/2025

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by Russ Alman, Communications Director
Picture
Suite D, one of four converted activity room suites on the east side of the building, is now the donation receiving room. The room is frequently overwhelmed with donations due to the growth of the store.
​The Second Chance Thrift Shop started as a small single room gift store in the back Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center. But it has expanded over the past 30 years into a huge part of the operation — so much so that it has outgrown the available space within our current building.

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Tech Tip: Why We Need Your Data

6/5/2025

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by Russ Alman, Communications Director
data under magnifying glass
​For this month’s Tech Tip article, I'm going to flip the script. Typically, I provide information to you to help you navigate technology. But this month, I’m asking you to give us more information. ​

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Senior Center Hosts Business After Hours

6/3/2025

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Business After Hours guests at the Senior Center
Over 60 guests from the business community attended the April Business After Hours at the Senior Center.
Thanks to a late cancellation, the Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce offered us the opportunity to step in on short notice and host their April Business After Hours at the Senior Center. Over 60 local businesspeople attended… and more than half of them had never been in the Senior Center before! After the networking event, Jim Tarbert, WVSAC board member, and Russ Alman, Director of Communications, took 20 of the guests on a tour of the building, including a sneak peek in the Thrift Shop.

The event was a great opportunity to share the senior center's mission and future vision for expansion with members of the local business community.


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Executive Director's Message - June 2025

6/2/2025

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Wenatchee Master Gardeners
The Wenatchee Master Gardeners have been working on the beds around the building... Remember those overgrown shrubs? They've now been replaced with much more attractive groundcover and flowers.
​As we roll head-on into summer, I start looking forward to all of the joy there is to be had outside. Our landscaping is looking alive and inviting and ideas for exterior improvements have begun to take shape. It is my goal to begin and complete updates that are moderately affordable yet still have a visual impact or strong curb appeal. The Laura Mounter Real Estate group put together a team of workers to help clean and spruce up our landscaping in mid-May. The results are fantastic and coupled with the work of our Master Gardeners and the never-ending energy of Dave and Preston (our Thrift Shop employee), the planting spaces have become extremely attractive. It is tough to keep a property of this size always looking tip-top, but that continues to be the goal. Fresh parking space striping is in the works and the signs outside will be getting a little update as well. If you have any visual improvement ideas for the exterior of the building, please visit my office and share your suggestions. I would love to hear them
Lisa Blair, Executive DirectorLisa Blair
Executive Director
Regarding the building expansion, I like to keep everyone updated on our progress and now is a good time to do that. We have once again lost our bid at a slice of the state budget pie, but the awards went to some well-deserving organizations here in Wenatchee. We hear rumors that the third application is the charm and will apply again. Hopefully our request for funding will be fruitful in the next state budget session. It may feel like a lengthy process, but we continue to move forward in our search for funding for this project. The Wenatchee Central Lions Club awarded us a $15,000 grant from the Kingston Memorial Fund. We are also awaiting word from two other funding sources that we hope will come through for us. The Building Committee continues to meet with prospective donors and it is my belief that we are just a request away from achieving the next step in our fundraising goals. One option that we are considering is for naming rights to our main building, new addition or individual rooms. We are in the initial stages of investigating this and I will keep everyone informed as we learn more about this process. In the meantime, any member or organization that has contributed to our building expansion can rest easy knowing the contribution is tucked safely away in an investment account designated only for the expansion and it continues to grow daily. Our current fundraising efforts are approximately $330,000, just $70,000 shy of our first goal of $400,000. We will build!

Laura Mounter Real Estate cleans up landscaping at senior center
Laura Mounter and her real estate team spent two hours cleaning up our entrance and the perimeter of our property on May 19. What a huge difference! Their office takes on service projects like ours throughout the community. This is the second time that they've offered to help us in the past few years and we greatly appreciate it!
June 18 is our Annual Meeting and I encourage everyone to attend. The meeting will commence at 1 p.m. after the conclusion of a roast beef lunch. This will be a time to review the past year and discuss our goals and direction for the coming year. There will be a time for questions and answers and the all-important board member election will occur as well. We must have a quorum for the new vote to be valid so attendance is crucial. If you are unable to attend this meeting, I encourage you to pick up an absentee ballot and get that returned before voting is tabulated on the 18th. These ballots are available at the reception desk and they can be mailed to you if you are unable to pick one up. Only members are eligible to vote and membership must be current on election day. Nominations for board member candidates are now closed. We will be voting on a new Chairperson and Director “B” as the terms of our current Chairperson, Pam McGhee, and Director “B”, Jim Tarbert, are expiring. The board members also have the option to appoint new Directors-at-Large as appropriate after the conclusion of the upcoming election.

Our membership continues to grow. I would like to personally invite all of those just joining, or those who have joined but don’t know the ins and outs of the Senior Center, to attend our monthly new member orientation meeting on Friday, June 13 at 10 a.m. in Suite B. You will learn about our classes, activities and upcoming opportunities. You will be given a personal tour of the facility and learn how our lunch program works. There will be time for questions and you will be introduced to the wonderful people who serve at the Senior Center, whether as an employee or volunteer.

And speaking of our volunteers, we had some unexpected gaps in the kitchen volunteer staff and at the lunch ticket table this past month. Our members rose to the challenge and immediately filled those gaps so we are back to full staffing. Several of the gaps are temporary, and our thoughts are with those who had to take unexpected breaks. We will see you soon! In the meantime, we have met some wonderful, giving people willing to step in when needed.

This is why Lydia created the Volunteer Appreciation Lunch to honor those who continually give. If you are a volunteer with a name badge and have not taken advantage of the free lunch on the first Friday of each month, I encourage you to join us. You are so appreciated!

Looking forward to next month just in case July’s Livewire does not make it to you in time, I want to remind everyone that we will be closed July 4 to celebrate our nation’s independence. We will open again on July 7.

Have a wonderful month, everyone.

~ Lisa
​
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