Volunteer of the Month
Archives
November 2019
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 ahÃ.
Featured Activity
Wii Bowling League
Time: Wednesdays 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Cost: $10.00 per season members
$10.00 per season non-members
Location: Parlor
Description: Instead of wooden lanes and pins, Wii Bowlers hit the virtual lanes using Nintendos' Wii game system. Wii bowling tends to start out easy, building confidence, while you get use to bowling with a hand held remote. However, the better you bowl, the harder it can become. You can put too much spin and throw a gutter ball. You can even release it behind your and watch the audience scatter. Those who have trouble picking up a bowling ball will have no trouble lifting the remote control, which is a small plastic rectangular stick weighing only a few ounces. Play is done on our three big screen TVs. They are brand new 55" HD TVs donated by our Wii Bowlers. If you want you can sign up to be a substitute to get your feet wet, or bring in a team. If you don't have other players we will try our best to put you onto an existing team. No matter which way you go, you'll still have lots of fun in our Wii Bowling League. Sessions are only six weeks long. Next league registration takes place at 1:30 pm on September 14th, with bowling starting on September 21st.
St Patricks Day Party
By: Mike Sylva
With all this talk about everyone going green, St. Patrick’s Day took on a new meaning, as the Highland Senior Center celebrated one of the few holidays that celebrates the day someone died! Even then it is one of the most popular holidays, especially with partiers.
Well anyone who knows the center, knows that our crowd loves a party. Not only the companionship, but the food and fun. Everyone avoided getting pinched by making sure they wore green, somewhere on them, and dined on the traditional corn beef, cabbage, potatoes, rye bread, and of course, green jello. While we did not have green beer to wash it down with we did have Penny’s homemade Irish Green Koolaide.
After everyone drank the koolaide, it came time to see who had the luck of the Irish. There was a trivia wheel of fortune, as a lucky few got to spin the wheel for a chance to answer a question about Ireland or St. Patrick, and win a prize. Many were called, but only a few knew the answer. However it was Joan Lewis’ lucky day after she won the 50/50 raffle.
Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate the day with us, as well as those who volunteered to help serve. Finally, \"Go raibh maith agaibh\" to Al and Claudia Wrona for the great songs.
Until next year:
May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life\'s passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!
