Director's Message - August 2024

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.
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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.

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Along with the executive director transition, we are recognizing two other longtime staff members who will be retiring at the end of July. They are Penny Petersen, who has been with us for 12 years, primarily as our kitchen supervisor; and Tim Myrtle, who has served for 8 years assisting in the kitchen and then in the Second Chance Thrift Shop donation area.

As I stated in last month’s Livewire, Lisa and I have been jointly planning several major changes in our operations which will be implemented over the next several weeks. Most of the changes are dictated by our ever-increasing operating costs. Small businesses and nonprofits continue to struggle with post-COVID, and our organization is no exception. The costs of goods and services continue to climb. As a result, effective immediately, our membership fees and renewals will increase to $50 per individual and $75 per couple. Our lifetime membership will increase to $500 per individual. Keep in mind it’s been well over 15 years since we last increased our membership fees and at the new rate it is only $4.17 per month. Also, please realize it is costing us over $35,000 a year just to print and mail the monthly Livewire to our membership. For those who meet low-income requirements, we can provide scholarship grants through our Angel Fund for memberships and lunch tickets.

We are also making major changes to our lunch program. There won’t be a significant change in the menu and schedule until September, but we must drastically reduce our costs of labor, food, supplies and services to make the program sustainable. Our goal is to continue the $5 lunches and provide a complete meal. Depending on food availability, may need to substitute some main course items. We will host a meeting with our lunch attendees on July 30 (after lunch) to gather feedback and input to help us proceed. We are also looking for a volunteer baker in the kitchen to further reduce costs. Hours will be flexible in terms of time of day and days of the week. Please let Lisa know if you can help.

We held our first MyChart orientation on Thursday, July 18th in the social hall and was well attended. Subject matter experts from NCW Tech Alliance and Confluence Health answered questions and worked with members one on one. The Confluence representatives appreciated the feedback they received and are excited to provide additional training sessions. On August 8, we’re hosting a second session to teach attendees how to use telehealth services, and on August 22, a third session on how to create proxy access to your medical records. Both sessions will be held from 1-2 p.m. in the social hall. The event is free and open to the public, and we will have additional information posted on our website and Facebook page. Please stop by the reception desk to sign up or call 509-662-7036.

And finally, look for our summer sale in the Second Chance Thrift Shop to begin around July 30. Also, we are looking for additional volunteers in our donation area. If you can commit to just a few hours one day a week, it would be a big help.

I’d like to thank everyone at the senior center —staff, the board of directors, volunteers and our growing membership — for making my tenure as executive director an enjoyable and memorable experience. As many of you know, I came out of retirement to take this position. Having grown up in this community, it was an opportunity for me to give back and to reconnect with many people who shaped me in my youth. Now it’s time for me to start a new chapter, focus on my family and continue to serve the Wenatchee Valley senior community as a volunteer.
It has truly been an honor!
 
~ Dave