2023 is quickly coming to a close and we have been busy!

​Over the past several months, we have been presenting our building expansion plan to our membership and answering their questions. We must raise and/or identify $4 million in order to get the project underway. To meet this goal, we are launching a local fundraising campaign, led by board member Erin Cass, which will help us raise the matching funds necessary to qualify for state, federal and private/corporate grants. Our goal for local funding is $400,000 which we believe will meet the matching requirements. Simply stated, for every $1 we raise locally, we will achieve $10 when accounting for the matching funds from the outside sources listed above.
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​It’s now time to take our first big step. On Saturday evening, Feb. 10, we will host a fundraising campaign kickoff with a special crab feed and auction. The theme for the event is “Raising Booty for the Build,” including a gathering of Caribbean Pirates. Because our goal is to raise a significant amount of money and get off to a great start, we will be selling tickets for $120 (per person) and asking for table sponsorships throughout the community. Obviously this is a significant undertaking and something we have never before attempted. Please keep in mind that our ultimate goal is to have additional space to provide more activities for seniors residing in the Greater Wenatchee Valley. More details on the event will be available in the coming weeks.

On December 16, we took time to celebrate our volunteers with an appreciation party. Class with a Glass in downtown Wenatchee helped us out and hosted this year's event, and we even were able to pull some strings and get Santa to take time out of his busy schedule and deliver gifts to the group. Nancy Berry, owner of Class with a Glass, was nice enough to snap a few photos of the event for us. Those are included in the photo gallery at the bottom of this article.

As 2023 draws to a close, we want to take this opporutunity to publicly thank all of the volunteers who help out at the Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center. Being an indepently-funded nonprofit organization, we are heavily reliant on volunteers for many of our programs and operations. We have volunteers who help manage our front desk, teach classes, organize events, check people in for our $5 lunch program, and process donations in our Second Chance Thrift Shop. It's safe to say that our organization would not be able to run without the help of our corps of volunteers.