Volunteer of the Month
Archives
September 2020
Mike & Sharon Pierce
This month we’d like to shine the light on some familiar faces around here. Mike & Sharon Pierce are a mix of new and old to the center. Sharon has been a member since 2010, while Mike joined in 2018. Before the shutdown, Mike was wearing several hats, working in the Trip Office and working in the Nutrition Program two days a week. They both also enjoy working at our special events, and were first time drivers for our Operation Senior Cause. During the shutdown they’ve both have been volunteering in the Thrift Store as well as serving as Transportation Assistance Program drivers. Mike and Sharon are both from the area. Sharon was born in Boston, but came out here when she was three. Mike on the other hand was born and raised out here. They met on a blind date when she was 18, and he was 22. They were married 6 weeks later! Together they have two kids and five grandchildren. He worked for Fedco and retired from Beaver Medical for over 20 years each whereas she worked for the same mortgage company. We would like to thank the Mike and Sharon for their ongoing dedication to the center and its members during these troubling days.
Featured Class
Spanish
Date: April 23, 2020
Time: 1:30 - 2:30 pm
Length: 8 weeks
Cost: $8 members
$8 non-members
Instructor: TBA
Location: Game Room
Description: This class is designed to teach students conversational Spanish. The class will enable you to carry on limited conversation at first just to get you started. Then as you progress, so will the levels. As for what to bring, just bring a writing instrument and paper. Books might come later. We hope to see you there, or as you will soon be saying, Esperamos verte ahÃ.
Featured Activity
Tai Chi
Time: Mondays 11:30 a.m.
Cost: $3.00 members
$3.00 non-members
Location: Exercise Room
Description: The Chinese characters for Tai Chi Chuan can be translated as the Supreme Ultimate Force. The notion of supreme ultimate is often associated with the Chinese concept of yin-yang, the notion that one can see a dynamic duality (male/female, active/passive, dark/light, forceful/yielding, etc.) in all things. Force (or, more literally, fist) can be thought of here as the means or way of achieving this ying-yang, or supreme-ultimate discipline. Or it is possibly from it's origins as a martial art and self-defense technique. Tai Chi as it is more commonly referred to, is practiced in the west today as a moving form of yoga and meditation combined. There are a number of so-called forms (sometimes also called sets) which consist of a sequence of movements. Many of these movements are originally derived from the martial arts and perhaps even more ancestrally than that, from the natural movements of animals and birds. Legend has it that a Taoist monk, first developed a set of 13 exercises that imitate the movements of animals. Some of the movements are even called the Monkey Pick and Horses Mane. It is an exercise almost anyone who can walk can do safely. Tai chi takes the joints gently through their range of motion, while the emphasis on breathing and inner stillness relieves stress and anxiety. Your instructor is Katsuko aka Kats Shiomi and classes held on Mondays and Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., and the cost is only $3.00 per class. Students should wear comfortable clothing and come ready to find their inner peace.
2010 Health Fair
By: Mike Sylva
Even though there was no worries about a swine flu epidemic, or a shortage of vaccines, there were still plenty of people who came to the Highland Senior Center’s Annual Health Fair
to get their shots. And while the lines didn’t stretch out for a hundred or so yards as in the past, like when we had the first shots available in the area, the line was still long. Maybe its because the shots only cost $10 here vs. $25 elsewhere, or maybe it’s because of all the other services and information we had on hand to help pass the time while over 300 people waited for their shots.
The weather was certainly on our side, as previous days had extreme heat, wind, and thunderstorms. On the day of the fair it was a sunny day, but not too hot with a nice breeze every once in a while to make it comfortable. Meanwhile, we tried to have most of the services inside so that while you did wait in line, most of it was spent inside with the air conditioning. That way, when fair goers got their blood pressure checked, it was more reasonable. However, nothing we could do could help with the body mass index. Members were on their own for that one. Nothing we could’ve done to help them with that...sorry.
Thanks to the volunteers who came to set up and work the fair, all of our wonderful vendors who came out to make this a success. Additional thanks go our to the Highland Police Department’s Citizen’s Patrol for their excellent traffic control. Mostly we would like to thank our event sponsors, the Physicians of Beaver Medical Group and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.
