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

Spanish
Date: October 3, 2019
Time: 1:30 - 2:30 pm
Length: 8 weeks
Cost: $8 members
      $8 non-members
Instructor: Louise Ayala
Location: Game Room
Description: Louise Ayala has 25 years of teaching experience, with a Kindergarten thru 12 teaching credential. She has mostly taught elementary and spent six years teaching Spanish. Louise learned Spanish as a child growing up in household with two fluent Spanish speaking parents. She also took Spanish in High School and spent her senior year as a tutor and teaching aid, helping to teach. Once in college she decided she only needed one year. As for our class, she will be focusing on 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 ahí.

Featured Activity

Line Dancing
Time: Tuesdays 10:15 am to 12:15 pm
Cost: Donation suggested members
      Donation suggested non-members
Location: Exercise Room
Description: This month wed like to shine a light on our Line Dancing class. The class is actually divided into two classes: a beginners and intermediate. The beginner class is taught by long time instructor, Saundra Binney. She has been line dancing since the early 90's, and has been teaching since 2005. She teaches the basic steps, such as the chase, grapevine, weave, triple step, shuffle step, two-step, and lock step. Everything else stems off from the basics. Intermediate is taught by Glenda Lane. Glenda is fairly new to the center but has taught TAP and ballet for 30 years. Glenda also teaches at other centers as well. Her instruction includes silver lining, and stripes. Don't worry if you don't have a partner. You don't need one. It's a group dance. Classes are held in the exercise room on Tuesdays with the beginning class taught from 10:15 am to 11:15 am, with the intermediate class following from 11:15 am to 12:15 pm. The class is donation only. It's up to students as to whether they want to donate. So put on some comfy shoes and get ready to step in line.
Dave Mitchell Retires
By: Mike Sylva
Last month we bid a fond farewell to Dave Mitchell, our longtime bookkeeper. Having started with us in February 2001, he and his wife Bonnie decided to retire together. So after 15 years of making sure all our numbers added up, and that we dotted our i’s and crossed our t’s he has decided to take a well earned rest.



However, he won’t be gone for good as he is planning on becoming a member and looks forward to coming in and having fun, possibly taking some trips and getting into Wii Bowling. Dave, we’re sorry to see you go, but look forward to welcoming you back!