Director's Message - March 2024

Spring is on the way!

Our “Booty for the Build” fundraiser kickoff event to benefit the senior center expansion project was held Feb. 10 and was an over-the-top success. We exceeded our goal, raising over $30,000, but most importantly everyone was happy to be there. Many thanks to our staff, volunteers and sponsors for making it a memorable event. A special shout-out to board members Erin Cass (Fundraising Committee), Melanie Salter (Decorating Committee) and Jim Tarbert (Building Committee) for making the event so successful. Of course, it never hurts to have fresh all-you-can-eat Dungeness crab as a main course for dinner. Please see the press release for more details. Word continues to spread throughout our community as to the need for a building expansion with the purpose of offering more activities for seniors.

At our Board of Directors meeting in January, I announced my retirement this year. The board has formed an ad hoc committee to conduct a search for my replacement. I have enjoyed serving as your executive director for the past 10 years, but the time has come to step down so I can enjoy quality retirement years. My energy level is not what it used to be, and I believe a new director will bring new ideas and fresh energy. If the search is successful and we can stay on our timeline, there should be a new director by early summer — and I can go fishing whenever I want.

The AARP Smart Driver course resumes on March 6 and 7. Al Murphy returns as instructor after a four-year break due to COVID-19. Classes will be held in Suite B with a limit of 30 people. You must attend both sessions in order to complete the course. If you wish to participate, call the front desk and make a reservation. See Page 7 for more information. We have some more good news:

Bob Clarke returns in April to resume his smartphone classes. These classes have become very popular and are limited to 20 people for each Android and iPhone class. Please call the front desk to make a reservation and see our calendar for the complete schedule.

Craig Franklin is one of our new members who is looking for something to do to help seniors. A native of the valley, Craig loves to take drives with seniors on local sightseeing trips in his vehicle. The furthest he travels is Tumwater Canyon, Lake Chelan, the Waterville Plateau and all points in between. Please note that this is not a sanctioned senior center program. You will have to contact Craig directly at (509) 679-8550 to arrange for his service. He is also participating in the Senior Companion Program, administered by Catholic Charities.

We have partnered with Wenatchee Sunrise Rotary Club to help them sell raffle tickets for their Road Apple Roulette fundraising event during this year’s Apple Blossom Festival Grand Parade. This event has become well known in our community but many people haven’t known how or where to purchase the $5 tickets. We thought we could help and also raise extra money for the senior center. The grand prize is worth $10,000 along with four $500 prizes. For more information, go to the Apple Blossom Festival website at appleblossom.org, or call the festival office at (509) 662-3616. The bulk of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Rotary Discover Scholars Program that supports and mentors teens at risk of not completing their high school education.

We continue to face challenges with our lunch reservations, particularly on our popular menu days like Western Day. Some of these lunch days fill up a week in advance and we are now turning people away when they show up on lunch day. Please get your reservation in early.

The most foolproof way to do this is to stop by the reception desk and turn in a monthly menu (available at the desk) with your reservation dates circled and your name(s) on the menu. We will get you on our reservation list for the entire month and furnish a copy you can take with you to keep track of what days you have reserved.

One of the many issues we are having is people leaving voicemails over a long weekend and not telling us the date for their reservation. Please speak slowly and clearly, and also leave your telephone number in case we need to clarify anything.

If you use the online reservation system, make sure you click/press the green button that says "Make Reservation". When you do this successfully, you'll see a confirmation message that lists the information you've entered. If you don't see the confirmation message, you're reservation is not complete and we will not receive it.

Finally, please come to lunch early as our check-in line can get rather long. You can check in as early as 11:30 a.m. Lunch is served promptly at noon Tuesday through Friday.

Hope to see you soon!
Dave