Volunteer of the Month
Archives
October 2021
Don Harper
This month we’d like to shine the light on Don Harper is one of our longtime Transportation Assistance Program (TAP) drivers. Don has been a member for about 7 ½ years, and has been driving for 5 ½ years. During that time he has become one of our go-to drivers driving multiple times a week, and sometimes several trips in one day. He first heard about the center from his mother-in-law, who is a Wii Bowler. She got him a membership and he came and joined the Wii Bowling league. He then remembered then Outreach Director, Holly Andrade, talking about TAP and how they needed drivers. He gave it a test drive, enjoyed it and has been doing it ever since. He loves driving, and loves the people. He thinks of this as his job, but a job he enjoys. The clients love him too and has clients who ask for him. Originally from Fort Worth, TX, his mom brought him out here when he was two. He inched his way over from Blythe, to Beaumont, to Highland. We are thankful that his travels brought him closer to us. Thanks Don for driving that extra mile for us!
Featured Class
Watercolor
Date: September 14, 2021
Time: 9:00 - 11:00 AM
Length: 8 weeks
Cost: $8 members
$8 non-members
Instructor: Avon Hall
Location: Game Room
Description: Not only is this one of our oldest classes, but is also one of the oldest art forms going back to paleolithic times. Watercolor is a painting method in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-based solution. Watercolor refers to both the medium and the resulting artwork. Working with watercolors is difficult because with paint, it stays put. However, with watercolor, the paper and absorption changes the outline and appearance as it dries. Additionally, you have to be careful as colors can run into each other as they are absorbed, changing the shape and color of objects. If you mess up with paint you can paint over or scrape off the paint but in watercolor you might be able to partially correct a mistake by re-wetting and blotting making errors costly. To help you with this is Avon Hall, our Watercolor instructor. While Avon has no formal instruction as an art teacher, but does have lots of experience in art. While in the Air Force, and stationed in France 50 years ago, he took some art classes in oil painting and drawing. He did not take up watercolor until eight years ago, when he heard that we had a class and he was curious about it. Avon has won several prizes for his art, and has even sold some.
Featured Activity
Senior Bingo - ON HIATUS
Time: Saturdays 1:00 pm
Cost: $3 buy-in members
$3 buy-in non-members
Location: Dining Room
Description: One of the largest, loudest, and some might say most fun programs at the Highland Senior Center is Bingo. Bingo is played every Monday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. for area Seniors. A person may have a fun afternoon for only $3.00 for a pack and you can play all the regular games. For $6.00 a person can play every game including the bonus games. The pay outs may reach up to over $25.00. Where else could a person have a whole afternoon of entertainment at such a bargain price! In addition to Mondays, Senior Bingo is also played at the center every second and fourth Saturdays at l:00 p.m. Bring a sack lunch and come early. All are invited to come and try any or all of these Bingo events. Our "March Madness" with special payouts, prizes, and treats has been postponed to a "May Madness"! Anyone who has not tried playing Bingo at the Highland Senior Center is missing out on a lot of inexpensive fun, plus the opportunity to go home with more than you came in with. Give it a try!
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.
