Volunteer of the Month
Archives

April 2021
Leisa Alexander

Photo of Leisa Alexander

This month we’d like to shine the light on someone few of you may have seen, but may have benefited from her volunteering. Lesia (pronounced Lisa) Alexander has been helping us out since 2020. During that time she has helped serve meals for Thanksgiving, Operation Senior Claus, and most recently, the Grab-n-Go dinners Monday thru Friday she can be helping out her sister, Mae Lucero, getting the dinners from the local restaurants, then helping to distribute them to seniors at the center. However, Leisa doesn’t just come here help to serve food. All that work can wear a person out, so when she’s not volunteering, she enjoys coming to the center’s Aerobics Program to boost her cardio. Originally from Meridian, MS, she and her two siblings came out Calif., to live with, and be raised by their big sister Mae, when their mom passed away. After she grew up she went to work for the Dept. of Corrections where she worked for 27 years before retiring. During that time she raised a son, who in turn, gave her a grandchild. Thanks Leisa for helping to ensure that our senior don’t go hungry.

Featured Class

Spanish
Date: April 23, 2020
Time: 1:30 - 2:30 pm
Length: 8 weeks
Cost: $8 members
      $8 non-members
Instructor: TBA
Location: Game Room
Description: This class is designed to teach students 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

Cribbage
Time: Mondays 10:00 a.m.
Cost: Free members
      Free non-members
Location: Dining Room
Description: Cribbage is one of the older games that we play here at the center. Introduced in the early 17th century, is a card game traditionally for two players, but can be, and is, commonly played with three, four or more. The game involves playing and grouping cards in combinations which gain points. To get started all you need is a standard 52-card deck, (cards are assigned a point value equal to rank. Aces are low and count 1; face cards count 10) and a Cribbage board. A regulation board has four rows of 30 holes, marked off in groups of five and organized in two rows of two (two for each player). The pegs that come with the board are typically different colors to identify individual players. Each player has two pegs. Before play begins, the four pegs are placed at the start end of the board. The movement of the pegs, up the outside row and down the inside row back to the start, shows the progress of each player's game. The complete trip of the pegs is equal to 61 points. The traditional game is two trips, or 121 points. Use the two pegs in alternating fashion (the first peg indicates the previous score; the second peg indicates the most recent score); in this way, scores can be checked for accuracy. If you'd like to try Cribbage before you buy a board you can use a pencil and paper. It's a fun game that, due to its longevity, must be entertaining! The Cribbage group meets on Wednesdays from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm in the dining room. If you'd like to brush up on the rules first, a complete set of rules can be located in the Program Office.
Support Groups for Cancer and Alzheimers
By: Mike Sylva
Even though the holidays are over, the stress of the holidays (when the bills arrive) will linger for awhile more. The stress is bad enough, but imagine if you or someone you love is suffering from cancer or Alzheimer’s. At the Highland Senior Center we are ready to lend a helping hand. We have two support groups that meet once a month.

The Alzheimer’s support group meets on the 2nd Thursday of every month at 10:30 am, while the Cancer support group meets on the 1st Monday of every month at 2:00 p.m. Don’t go through this alone. Stress is high enough at this time. Get the support you need to help you get through this difficult time. For more information call us at the Highland Senior Center at 909-862-8104.