Director's Message - September 2024

​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.

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The fun continues the following Saturday, September 28th with a Celebrity Waiter dinner featuring local community dignitaries. Ticket sales are limited for this event. There will be more information available on our website and Facebook page as we move closer to the dinner.

In our continued efforts to secure State and Federal funding for our expansion project, we invited State Representative Kim Schrier to visit the senior center last month. We shared plans for the building expansion as well as our ongoing fundraising efforts with her, and we gave her a personal tour of our center. She even got the chance to do a little shopping in our Second Chance Thrift Store. It was a great opportunity, and our thanks go out to her for taking time from her busy schedule to see and hear what we are all about.

Some of you may have heard that the walk-in freezer in our kitchen has been giving us problems lately. After several attempts to repair it, we finally had to empty it and take all our frozen foods to an alternate location. Once we thought we had it fixed we moved the food back in. Unfortunately, the repair failed and we were again on the move with our frozen food. After a third attempt at repairs, we let the freezer sit for a few weeks to prove the fix was successful. Moving a walk-in freezer full of food is not an easy or fun task to say the least. Finally, in late August we made a final transfer of our food back into the freezer, and all appears to be well.

I tell you all of this because I want to make sure our rescuers are acknowledged. It is not easy to find a giant freezer with space that is able to accept outside food, but our local Chelan-Douglas Community Action Council was at the ready with freezer space, pallets, a forklift, and physical labor to help make the back-and-forth moves with our precious cargo. I want to give a special shout-out to Alan Walker and Lonnie Walls for making this happen, and actually using their muscles and staff to help us. This is a fantastic organization, and if you get the opportunity to support a fellow nonprofit, this is a wonderful and deserving group.

Speaking of remarkable organizations, we are surrounded by a host of Rotary clubs in the valley and outlying areas, always ready to serve. The Wenatchee Sunrise Rotary is no exception, and they have reached out to me expressing the desire to help local seniors in need. This need can include anything from help with yardwork, snow shoveling in the winter, meals prepared, or even just a little companionship. If you or anyone you know could benefit from the generosity of the Rotary, please let me or one of our receptionists know. We will be providing a list of names to the Rotary as the information comes to us. This will be an ongoing project, so please be in touch with us any time a need arises.

Since we are talking about needs, it is time to say I NEED HELP. I have spent the past month trying to adapt to my new role as Executive Director while still functioning as the Program Director. And as Robin Williams would have said in Mrs. Doubtfire, “Help is on the way!” I am pleased to announce the addition of Lydia Agidius, Program Director, to our staff. She comes to us with travel experience dating back to her teen years. She has traveled both domestically and internationally and is an enthusiastic and well-organized traveler. Anyone fortunate enough to travel with her will be in for a wonderful experience. She also has extensive experience with event planning and worked for Sun Mountain Lodge in Winthrop for a time as a wedding planner. She might even have a trick or two up her sleeve for our new building and facility renovation (think interior design and architectural assistance). Lydia has a host of ideas for the senior center, and she is anxious to get started and get to know staff and members alike. Please take a moment to pop into her office and say hello. I guarantee you will be greeted with a smile.

Since I have been talking about travel, this is the perfect opportunity to let everyone know there will be a travel presentation by Liz, our representative for Premier World Discovery, on Thursday, October 3rd at 1:00 in the social hall. We have seven trips in the pipeline from the end of this year through 2025. One trip is already full, and several are nearing capacity. In particular, the trip to Costa Rica was fully booked, but in the past three weeks some spaces have opened up. This trip is in February and will be the perfect time to escape the cold and snow of Wenatchee. Christmas in New York is the next scheduled trip, and there is plenty of room for those wishing to see Rockefeller Center all dressed up for the holidays, watch a Broadway performance, or simply take in the sights of New York City. Please plan to join us for this presentation and choose the adventure of a lifetime. This will also be a fantastic opportunity to meet your new program director.

Well, I suppose that is enough for my first official message as your new director. Thank you to everyone who has stopped in to wish me luck and offer words of encouragement. I am taking them to heart!

~ Lisa