 Sharon, Sandi and Robert checking in Bingo participants. The Senior Center hosts Bingo every Tuesday from 6-9 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m.  Lisa BlairExecutive Director Here we are, well into the new year and things haven’t slowed down one bit. The lack of snow (so far) this year has kept us vibrant and alive with activity and it has been so good to see everyone continue to remain busy and involved. The Christmas lights outside of our building have gone dark and the decorations inside have been replaced with signs of the expectation of Valentine’s Day. I am the kind of person who craves as much sunshine as I can possibly get, so it is also with immense pleasure that I announce Daylight Saving Time is only five short weeks away! Indeed, we continue to move on into 2025.
As the season continues to change, we also embrace change within our facility. You may have noticed a new face at the reception desk. David, who has been helping in the Second Chance Thrift Shop and is the mastermind behind The Friendship Brigade, our card-making club, will be tending the front desk from 2 to 4 p.m. on Mondays. He will soon be joined by another volunteer, Kathy, who will be at the desk on Tuesdays and Fridays from 2 to 4 p.m. Let’s make sure to welcome them both and give them plenty of grace as they learn this new role.  Executive Director's Message Lisa BlairExecutive Director Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful beginning of 2025. The Director’s Message this month will be a little different than usual. I left for a river cruise through Switzerland and Germany with a group from the senior center on Dec. 9, and this is going to print while I am away. So, I leave with you my thoughts as we go into the New Year. Lydia and Russ will add to the message, so enjoy the little variation.
I have several things on my mind as we enter 2025, and one of them is our Walk of Fame. I am sure you’ve looked down at your feet as you are walking in our doors. All the names you see below engraved into the marble are the “famous” members who have chosen and purchased their own private tile. We are now down to two available tiles and I wanted to share the opportunity with everyone to claim one of these remaining spaces. The tiles available range from $200 to $300, depending on the number of lines you wish to have engraved. The fee for this purchase goes into our operating fund and serves to keep our doors open and our services at full throttle. Please consider this opportunity while you still have time. More information is available in our office. [Update: We sold our final tile on January 2!]
BRrrr... It’s official. Summer is gone, and fall is here in full force. Although I am so grateful for the cooler weather, I’m not a fan of the shorter days.
 Greetings everyone,
October is here! Gone are the long summer months of 100-degree weather. I don’t know about everyone else, but I am so thankful to be in the throes of fall and away from that relentless heat. Football is in full swing, I’m certain I smell pumpkin spice everywhere I go, and the trees have begun their progression towards abundant color.  Well, here we are, one month into Dave’s absence, and we are still standing. Although I miss him and his guidance terribly, I know he is enjoying his well-deserved retirement. He is still helping us when needed, popping in and out and sporting his “Volunteer” badge. There have been many changes in the months prior to Dave leaving, and there are still changes happening as I speak. Thank you to everyone for being patient as we adjust to the new and changing needs of our senior center.
We are actively working on fundraising for our new building, and the contributions from our membership community continue to flow in. The entire Building Campaign Committee is so grateful for each one, and we extend our thanks to all of you. To keep the ball rolling (no pun intended), the preparation for our Swashbucklers Ball is in full swing. This event is on Saturday, September 21st, and is Dave’s final farewell to all of you, complete with a night of dancing and musical entertainment from The Lake Boys band. Food will consist of heavy hors d’oeuvres (in Dave’s words). Tickets are available at the reception desk for $50 each. This is a fundraiser, and the proceeds will be applied to our new building.  WVSAC executive directors from right to left: Bonita McLean (1993-1996, the first at our Maple Street location), Dave Tosch (2012-2024) and Lisa Blair (2024 & beyond!). Hope you are having a great summer and keeping cool.
I will be retiring on Wednesday, July 31 and turning the reigns over to Lisa Blair, our current program director. We will have a reception that day at 1 p.m. in the Social Hall to celebrate my retirement and welcome Lisa as our new executive director. My wife, Louanne, and I will continue to make Wenatchee our home and we’ll frequent the senior center, helping out where needed as volunteers. One item of unfinished business is to have a big shindig prior to our departure for Arizona in October for the winter. I found out last spring that the only date we could schedule the LakeBoys musical duo was this fall. As a result, on Saturday, Sept. 21 there will be a gathering of “pirates” for another Swashbucklers Ball fundraising event. If you have not experienced a LakeBoys event, you are in for a real treat. They have appeared here several times over the years and we had capacity crowds on each occasion. Just a warning: There will be a lot of rock and roll music and maybe a few waltzes sprinkled in. This will be a fundraiser for our building expansion and $50 tickets will be available mid-August. Look for more details in the September Livewire. Hope you are having a great summer with family and friends!
Thank you to our members who attended the annual meeting and election on June 19. We were able to establish a quorum with members present and absentee ballots submitted and now have a new board in place. Kathy Bruno was elected Second Vice Chair and Erin Cass was elected Director A. In addition, Marco Martinez and Chad McBride were appointed as Members at Large during our monthly board meeting that followed the annual meeting. Please see Page 7 for the complete list of board members. We thank Margie Vincent for her dedicated service to our organization, as a board member, for over 8 years. You can find her here most days volunteering in a variety of ways along with leading the knitting group and participating in the SAIL (Stay Active and Independent for Life) exercise program. by Dave Tosch, Executive Director  Over 150 people attended our May Ice Cream Social, featuring the choral group GladSong. The event raised over $2,500 for senior center operations and the WHS Random Acts of Kindness Club. Summer is almost here!
It’s time for our annual crab feed. One of our biggest fundraisers of the year returns on Saturday, June 15 at 6 p.m. and tickets ($70) are still available. Stop by the reception desk or call 509-662-7036 to get your tickets. For those of you who have never attended, it is an all-you-can-eat Dungeness crab feast. There will also be menu alternatives for those who prefer not to eat crab. Beer and wine will be available for purchase. We will be seating up to 200 guests and will reserve tables for groups of eight on a first come, first served basis. I strongly recommend you get your tickets now before we sell out. We realize this is the Saturday before Father’s Day but what a great way to celebrate and take dad (or granddad) out to dinner!  by Dave Tosch
Executive Director Spring is finally here! We have raised well over $100,000 locally for our building fund and have made a great leap forward toward our $400,000 goal for matching funds. As stated previously, matching funds are needed in order to qualify for state and federal funding. We are developing plans for additional building fundraising events over the next several months. |
livewire PDFsMany of the articles in our News section are digital versions of articles in our monthly newspaper, The Livewire. You can view digital PDF copies of the newspaper in its entirety by selecting editions below:
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Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center
1312 Maple Street, Wenatchee, WA 98801 (509) 662-7036 (Office) (509) 888-9602 (Thrift Shop) Get Social!
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