Director's Message - June 2024

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!

Our annual meeting and election will be held on Wednesday, June 19 at 1:30 p.m. in the Social Hall. Please consider coming to lunch at noon that day and stay for the annual meeting and election. If you have questions or want to learn more about the senior center’s operations, consider joining us at our annual meeting and election. Our goal is to make it informative, so if you would like to know more about the “state of our senior center” come take part. Most importantly, we need your participation at this meeting to establish a quorum and validate the election even though all positions are uncontested. We will be voting on two positions coming open this year: 2nd Vice-Chair and Director A. Absentee ballots will be available at the front desk beginning Friday, May 31 and must be returned by 10 a.m. on the day of the election. Please see Page 7 for more information and remember, you must be a member in good standing to attend the meeting.

Members of our Ireland tour group celebrating the final evening of their trip.

Lisa Blair has been doing an excellent job with our travel program. We recently welcomed home 30 travelers who spent two weeks in Ireland; all had a great time! We have multiple trips planned for the remainder of this year. There is still a limited time to sign up for the Majestic Canadian Rockies trip. This will be an amazing adventure, so please consider joining us.

We also have space for our New York City Holiday, which includes several Broadway shows, a performance by the Rockettes, a visit to the 9/11 Memorial, a tour of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island among other highlights. Coming in 2025 is a fantastic journey to Tuscany, the Colorado Rockies, Coastal Maine, and the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. If you’ve never seen a hot air balloon show, this is one you won’t want to miss. We hope you’ll join us for one (or all!) of these tours. Our trips have been selling out quickly, so don’t delay.

One of the things I have been proud of during my time as your director is keeping the rumor mill in check. My first priority has always been to listen to our members, volunteers and staff; answer their questions and be open to ideas. When I do hear something that “doesn’t sound right,” I try to provide the facts. Word is going around that we will be changing the name of our organization. While that might happen at some point, there is no current plan to do so. As with any major decision, the membership would be included in the process. It would ultimately be a board decision. Furthermore, we have monthly board meetings that our members are welcome to attend if you wish to learn more about decisions being made by our organization.

A big shout out to GladSong for providing us an uplifting afternoon of entertainment at our ice cream social fundraising event on May 19. GladSong, a charitable community choir, has helped numerous nonprofits raise funds. We also thank the Wenatchee High School students from the Random Acts of Kindness Club who helped at the event, including serving the ice cream. They shared in the proceeds generated at the event.

​Hope to see you soon!

​~ Dave

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