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

Intermediate Computers
Date: October 3, 2019
Time: 10:00 - 11:00 am
Length: 8 weeks
Cost: $8 members
      $8 non-members
Instructor: TBA
Location: Game Room
Description: This is for those who more comfortable on computers, but not advanced. If you know how to make a document, do email, or browse the internet, this is the class for you. Those who register will be asked about their level and what they hope or need to learn. Classes will be tailored to fit the needs of the students. Students are encourage to bring their own laptop, tablet, or smartphones.

Featured Activity

Knitting
Time: Fridays 10am - 12pm
Cost: Free members
      Free non-members
Location: Parlor
Description: Knitting has been has been around (depending on who you ask) for between 2000 to 600 years. The oldest real knitting (formed on two sticks by pulling loops through loops) object that have been discovered are the \'Coptic socks\' from Egypt, dating to around the year 1000 AD. The term 'to knit,' according to the Oxford Unabridged English Dictionary, wasn't added to the English language until the 1400s. Our knitting group is headed by Keiko Holcombe. When Keiko joined the center ten years ago, she almost immediately began teaching others to knit. She has been knitting since she was six years old, and has been teaching here in the states for over 39 years. That's not counting the years she taught in Japan. The students all work on individual projects, ranging from items as small as booties to items as large as afghans. Keiko helps each student on their projects and teaches skills to class when they are having a problem. The class is small, with about 12-15 students, so 1 on 1 time is guaranteed. If this art form sounds like something you might be interested in, the group meets on Fridays from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Golf Tournament and Outstanding Senior Recognition
By: Mike Sylva
In just a few weeks we will be hosting our annual Highland Senior Center Golf Tournament and Outstanding Senior Recognition Award. Each year we honor a senior (or senior couple) who lives/works in the community and has exhibited a long commitment in service. This year’s honoree will be Charles Roberts.

Charles is currently the editor of the Highland Community News. During his tenure he has made it is job to not only inform the community about what was going on, but to also be one of its biggest promoters. Even if he doesn’t belong to a service group he makes sure that we know about them, and what they are doing. This varies from meetings of the city agencies and boards, the San Bernardino County Courthouse and Federal Court in Riverside, to such clubs as: the Rotary Club of San Bernardino/Highland, the Highland Kiwanis clubs, the Highland Area Chamber of Commerce, the Highland Citizens on Patrol, the Woman\'s Club and is the Red Hat Hubby of the Radiant Rubies Red Hat Society. He let\'s us know about everything that goes on in the community. It doesn’t matter what a group does. If it matters to us, it matters to him.

There are a still some open slots if you\'d like to join us for a day of golf, or if golf is not your thing, but you\'d still like to help us honor Charles for all he\'s done, you can join us for dinner. The big day takes place April 21st at the San Bernardino Public Golf Course and is open to the public. Congratulations to Charles and thank you for all that you do for your community.