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.

by Russ Alman, Communications Director

by Russ Alman, Communications Director

​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. ​

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.

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!

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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