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

Conversational French
Date: October 1, 2019
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 pm
Length: 8 weeks
Cost: $8 members
      $8 non-members
Instructor: CiCi Tenney
Location: Game Room
Description: Parlez-vous francais? Would you like to ? We're not talking about speaking with a Charles Boyer 'Come with me to the Casbah' accent. We're talking true French. If so you're in luck, our Conversational French class will enable you to chat like a Parisian. Your instructeur, Cynthia 'CiCi' Tenny will help you to learn to understand, speak, and read French in an enjoyable way usable in 'everyday' situations. The class is a mixture of beginners and intermediate students alike. For those who already have learned a little French, this will be a fun refresher experience.

Featured Activity

Double Pinochle
Time: Tuesdays 8:30 am - 12:00 pm
Cost: Free members
      Free non-members
Location: Parlor
Description: This month we'd like to put out the call for some card sharks. Specifically for those who enjoy Double Pinochle (aka: Double Deck Pinochle). The game is slightly different from pinochle, but not much. A game consists of 4 players, two playing as partners sitting across from each other. The deck consists of 80 cards, containing A 10 K Q J in each of the four suits, and with four identical copies of each card. This deck can be formed by mixing together two normal Pinochle decks, having thrown out the nines, or from four regular 52 card decks from which you throw out all the numerals 2 to 9. After the deal there is an auction in which players bid the number of points their team will try to win. Whoever bids highest has the privilege of choosing trumps and leading to the first trick. The object of the high bidder's team is to win at least as many points as the amount they bid. Points can be scored in two ways: 1. by declaring and showing (melding) combinations of cards held in a players hand; 2. by winning aces, tens and kings in tricks The game is won by the first partnership to achieve a score of 500 or more. If both sides reach 500 on the same hand, the bidding side wins. Don't worry if you still don't feel confident. The group is more than willing to take on new players and ease them into the game. The fun takes place every Tuesday beginning at 8:30 a.m. and continues until 12:00 p.m.
Neil Derry Dinner Show
By: Mike Sylva
Old Hazel Eyes may not have the same ring to it, but it was his golden throat that caught your attention. San Bernardino County Supervisor Neil Derry came to help us out as we hosted a dinner show with Supervisor Derry wowing the crowds as he sang the standards. He loves to sing, and he loves to help others, both young and old, as indicated by him doing benefits or us, as well as a youth center up in Big Bear.

Before the show Neil Derry worked his way through the room, chatting with individuals in the crowd, then making his way to the “stage” to croon. Then after the show it was back to mingling as he answered questions and posed for pictures with the fans.

Thanks to Janetha Hamre, Linda Brian, Rae Sanchez, and Dianne Kassotis for their hard work in the kitchen and serving. Big thanks go out to Primecare for sponsoring this great night out!