Executive Director's Message - April 2025

We have become the honored recipients of a beautiful quilt created by the North Central Washington Quilt Guild. Raffle tickets will be available at reception for $5 each. You may purchase as many as you like, as often as you like to increase your chances of being drawn. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to own this beautiful handmade quilt. It will be on display until Friday, June 27, at which time we will draw the winner during lunch. Thank you, North Central Washington Quilt Guild, for your generous donation.

I was approached by Russ, our Director of Communications and Development, in the hall recently and he commented on the atmosphere in the Senior Center that day. He said he could feel how different the interactions among members were and sensed a change in the “air.” Everyone seemed to be smiling and enjoying the camaraderie and there was just a general overall happiness. And I felt it, too. Things just seemed to be more vibrant and alive. And that, my friends, is how spring started at the Senior Center this year!

Members and staff dressed for St. Patrick's Day on March 14.

I’m sure anyone there that day felt it as well and this sense of well-being continues to grow each day. I was prompted to roll up the winter mats at the front entrance and take a broom to the Walk of Fame. I cleaned up the back patio and made the area more welcoming and inviting and dusted off the remnants of winter. Long-dormant vegetation was poking its little green head out of the dirt. I also took a stroll past the newly planted area at the front of the Senior Center, hoping to spy a little bud sprouting out of the ground or the promise of a tree in its infancy producing spring leaves. This renewed sense of life has inspired me to evaluate the ever-changing life of our Senior Center: perhaps dust off a little of the winter still within our walls and work to create a new sense of vibrancy in all of you. ​​

With all the spring cleaning happening, I know there are many of you needing to do some sprucing up around your own residence. I want to remind you that we have services available to help with most anything you may need: from changing burned out lightbulbs and batteries in your smoke detectors to cleaning up flower beds or getting your curtains down for laundering. There is no charge for these services and anyone is welcome to make a request. Our volunteers at the center do what they do because they simply want to be a part of our community. The organizations offering assistance do this for the same reasons. Please stop by the front desk and give your name and contact information to Barbara with a brief request for the assistance you need. We will do the rest.

With the approach of spring, many of our snowbirds have returned to the Senior Center. Familiar faces are back again, including our former director, Dave. He has popped in several times since his return, wearing his volunteer badge, ready to jump in wherever he is needed. He can be thanked for prepping the corned beef for the St. Patty’s Day lunch last month, starting the ovens in the middle of the night. Thank you, Dave, and welcome home! We have also had an uptick in new member registrations, so please be on the lookout for anyone looking a little confused with our processes and help them in whatever way you can. Being the new person in a sea of regulars can be a little daunting. We want everyone to feel welcome. ​​

A huge THANK YOU to Brian Predmore, district manager of Denny’s restaurants. He visited us for lunch last month and discovered we were out of eggs. He returned shortly after with 9 dozen! Due to the avian flu outbreak, eggs are expensive and in short supply, so this donation was greatly appreciated by our kitchen staff and volunteers.

I have had many questions about a crab feed this year. I want you all to know I am actively pursuing the opportunity for one this summer. The reason I haven’t moved forward with a date yet is due to the cost of crab. We’ve been told there was a pretty rough start to the crabbing season and that translated into a price increase of more than 100%. I am waiting and hoping for the prices to go down so it can be an affordable event for anyone wanting to take part. The moment I know anything I promise I will pass that information on to everyone.

I know it feels like the Apple Blossom Festival is a long time away, but it is creeping up faster than you think. Every year the Apple Blossom royalty graces us with their presence for a special lunch and Q&A session, taking time to introduce themselves and share a bit about their experience with the festival thus far. The date for their visit is April 15 starting at 11 a.m. It is fast approaching, so if you’d like to join us for lunch that day, please make your reservations early. Thank you to the Apple Blossom Festival organization for providing this opportunity to our senior community every year.

When the Apple Blossom Festival is in full swing, it affects the entire valley and we are not immune to the challenges it can create. In an effort to get our employees and volunteers home safely and in a timely manner on the Friday prior to the grand parade, we will be closing at 1:30 p.m. on May 2. Although this is a yearly occurrence, I wanted to make sure you are all informed of this change in our hours.

I would like to share one more upcoming opportunity with you and say a great big thank you to the North Central Washington Quilt Guild for a recent donation. In this article, you will see a picture of a gorgeous quilt that guild members have created and a short paragraph on what is happening with it. Don’t miss out on your chance to own this beautiful handcrafted piece and participate in an opportunity to support our Senior Center.

Finally, I want to point out an article in our Travel Blog section that includes stunning pictures of our recent trip to Costa Rica. This section used enough space that Lydia and her famous article were bumped. My apologies, but she will be back next month with a must-read story you won’t want to miss.

Happy spring everyone and thank you for being a part of our Senior Center community.

~ Lisa