Volunteer of the Month
Archives

November 2019
Linda Sowell

Photo of Linda Sowell

This month we’d like to shine the light on a new, yet not new volunteer. If you read last month’s newsletter, specifically the Activity Spotlite, you would have read a bit about Linda Sowell. Well this month we’d like to shine an even larger spotlight on her as our Volunteer of the Month. Linda is the new Gadabouts Trip Coordinator. She had been working in the Thrift Store and was asked to be a relief in the Trip office. When a vacancy occurred she was asked to take over, which she was more than happy to do. Since then she has been busy scheduling new trips, chaperoning trips on occasion, and generally managing our hustling and bustling trip office. Linda also serves on our Board of Directors. If needed she also helps out at our special events. Originally from Chicago, IL, she moved out to California with her husband who was in the Navy. Once out here she was not content to stay at home raising her two kids (who themselves provided her with five grandkids), but worked in numerous types of jobs. Her main career was in Food Service. She started out at McDonalds as a cashier, and worked her way up to manager. Then she transferred to the school system where she became the Director of Children’s Nutrition for the Bear Valley School District before retiring. Thanks Linda for helping to take our members on trips of a lifetime.

Featured Class

Creative Writing
Date: October 2, 2019
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 pm
Length: 8 Weeks
Cost: $8 members
      $8 non-members
Instructor: Liz Kim
Location: Game Room
Description: The Creative Writing class is taught by Liz Kim, A life-long educator. She has worked in Regular Ed, Special Ed., and Administration. She is also taking a writing class through U.C. Riverside’s Adult Education program. She believes that everyone has a story to tell, and she is prepared to help people to tell it. Liz wants her students to just write. Don’t think, just write. Get the ideas out and clean them up later.

Featured Activity

Nutrition Program
Time: Dailys 12:00 pm
Cost: $1.75 members
      $3.75 Non-seniors non-members
Location: Dining Room
Description: This week, the Highland Senior Center would like to give you a little background on a program that many people take advantage of but probably know little about: their Nutrition Program. It has been going on here at the center for nearly 40 years. When it first began, it was run by San Bernardino County. There was even a cook who prepared the meals at the center. The following year it was taken over by the City of San Bernardino through the Parks and Recreation program, which has been running it ever since. The meals are cooked downtown and delivered to the center Monday through Friday. From there, the centers' Nutrition team of volunteers take over feeding approximately 225 diners every week. Starting at 8:00 am, the group comes in and begins cleaning the kitchen and getting everything ready for the food. When it arrives around 11:00 am they prepare the trays and service begins at 12:00 pm. Once everyone is done, its time to clean the kitchen and dinning area in preparation for the next day. This needs to be done because they are inspected regularly by three different agencies. The County of San Bernardino, the City of San Bernardino, and the Department of Aging and Adult Service. However, its not all about the food. Many people come also come for the social interaction; coming hours early to chat and visit with friends, staying afterwards to participate in activities. As they say, man cannot live by food alone, and the crowd shows that they are hungry for more. The cost is only $1.75 for those ages 60 and older, and $3.75 for non-seniors.
Banana Bake Off
By: Mike Sylva
Chefs...ready, set, bake! On Thursday, May 23rd at 1:30pm we will be hosting the Big Banana Bake Off. Everyone is invited to bring in their best dish, whether it be an entree, side dish, desert, or drink. However, it must have banana as one of it’s main ingredients.

Contestants will prepare their items at home and bring in the items by 1:15 p.m. to be admired by all and judged by a special panel of three guests. If you’d like to show off your culinary skills, please R.S.V.P. at the front desk. You don’t have to say what you are bringing, giving hints to the competition. So gather those starchy containers of goodness and get ready to cook.