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

Italian
Date: October 4, 2019
Time: 9:00 - 10:00 am
Length: 8
Cost: $8 members
      $8 non-members
Instructor: Rita Sicilliano
Location: Game Room
Description: Italian is taught by Margherita Sicilliano. Margherita, who also goes by the names Margo or Rita, and is from the old country. Born in Caserta, Italy, she was actually born in the Italian Royal Palace (the Reggia di Caserta). Her mom was touring the palace when she went into labor. Not many people can say that they were born in a royal palace, much less a UNESCO World Heritage Site! Raised and educated in Italy, she was still in college when she came with her family to the United States. She continued with her education getting a Bachelor's Degree. She then went back to Italy to get her Master's Degree. Her teaching experience spans 42 years and includes teaching high school French, Spanish, and Italian in New York, as well as French and Spanish Advanced Placement classes at the local Aquinas High School. After retiring some friends told her about the center. She took a trip here and discovered a fellow Italian, Virginia Kautzman, and the two became friends. Margo also found out about our University Language classes, and decided to get back into teaching. She approached us about teaching here, and after offering a choice between Italian and German, everyone decided that Italian would be perfect. Now it is the only Italian class being offered in the area. Student’s need to bring only a pencil and paper to class. There is a work book students can purchase through Amazon for $16, but it is not necessary. The class is open to absolute beginners and those who wish to keep up their Italian. A presto! See you soon!

Featured Activity

Pool
Time: Dailys
Cost: Free members
      Free non-members
Location: The Game Room
Description: With the recent restoration of our pool table, and the kind donation of a new pool bridge, we thought it only fitting to shine the spotlite on pool. Billiards is an umbrella term for billiards and pool, which are not the same thing. Billiards is pool without pockets, played with smaller balls (three balls; white, yellow, and red) striking a ball after a bank. A type of snooker could be played on our table with a bit of imagination. Snooker involves a larger table, smaller pockets and red and colored balls and a white cue, alternating sinking red and colored, except after sinking a colored ball you put it back in it's original spot. Pool involves a table with 6 pockets, a clue ball, and 15 object balls that may or may not be pocketed in order, depending on whether you're playing 8 or 9 ball pool. Nine ball is played with nine balls numbered one through nine, and a cue ball. On each shot the first ball the cue ball contacts must be the lowest-numbered ball on the table, but the ball need not be pocketed in order. Players are not required to call any shot. A match ends when one of the players has won the required number of games (as determined by the players. Eight ball is a call shot game played with a cue ball and fifteen object balls, numbered 1 through 15. One player must pocket ball of the solid colors, and the other player pockets the stripes. The player pocketing his group first and then legally sinking the 8-ball wins. If this sounds confusing we usually have someone in the room playing, especially in the late afternoons. If we get enough interest we can even set up a dedicated pool time for you sharks.
Kazoo Band Forming
By: Mike Sylva
Have you always wanted to learn to play a musical instrument? Are you a blowhard? Well you are exactly what we are looking for! We are forming a kazoo band to march in the Highland 4th of July parade. No auditions to be held. If you can hum, you can play the kazoo. Best of all, we will provide the kazoo for you! The band will get together on June 14th and 28th at 9am for practice.

But what if you’re asthmatic? Maybe wind instruments aren’t your thing? Can you play saucepan, dutch oven, or possibly even double boiler? If so, bring your favorite percussion instrument and a wooden spoon, and get ready to bang out some Sousa.

If you’re still unsure have no fear. Our band director, Penny, will be using Professor Harold Hill’s “Think System.” All we need now is 76 kazoos to lead the big parade