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

Yoga
Time: Fridays 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Cost: $5.00 per class members
      $5.00 per class non-members
Location: Exercise Room
Description: In these stressful times we have the perfect solution to help you relax. Yoga. Yuki Mugimiya, our yoga instructor, came to us from Kumamoto, Japan. It was there that he mastered karate and yoga. It was this mastery that brought him to the states. He was hired in 1971 by the Cincinnati Police Department to teach them karate. While there he also taught at the University of Kentucky. Then he transferred to the west coast to teach at U.S.C. He said that he teaches seniors the same techniques he taught the police and college students. He just slows down the pace. It is a mixture of Japanese, Chinese, and Indian yoga. [Sendo which blends Asamas (postures), Seifuku-ho, Qi-Gong, Mantras, and a few other techniques into this unique style.] He is also certified with the Bodden Institute for Yoga Holistic Studies and the International Yoga Alliance. So whether you have trouble getting into the lotus position, or if you can get both legs behind your head, this class is for you, he'll be able to get you relaxed. He also shows Shia-tsu and other massage techniques as well. The classes are on Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:00 am and are only $3 per class, so come and join them for a stress free time.
Cane Defense Students Win Awards
By:
Last month members of our Cane Defense class went to the Orange County International Open for martial arts. Frank Rodriguez and Micheal Wagnon, both brown belts, each walked away with trophies for their effort and skills.

The Cane Defense class is taught by Senior Master Jim Willoughby. He has taught the class for nearly five years. He has been involved in martial arts for over 50 years, is a member of the Masters 2012 Hall of Fame.

Senior Master Willoughby’s thoughts on the class is simple. Everyone else was teaching kids, and he had a bad knee so he and former instructor Grandmaster Pierre Bergere put a class together that takes seniors limits and disabilities into account. There are other cane classes out there, but they require a full range of motion. This class does not. The class also focuses on the redirection of power, and not necessarily attack. The class meets at 10 a.m., and the cost is $10 per week. For more information call us at (909)862-8104 or stop by the class.