New Direction for Garden Valley Senior Center!




Louie makes rounds through Crouch but does all his shopping at Granny's.



  After a spirited annual membership

meeting last week, the SeniorCenter will be moving forward into a new dimension.

  Members accepted a couple of constitutional amendments: 1) Most assuredly, the seniors in this valley are NOT “aged” nor will they be referred to again as “aged” in the Senior Center Constitution; 2) The minimum number of board members can be three, to a max of seven. The new board is comprised of: Mike Butler, C.J. Scharf, Jayne Carlson, Ruth Richter, Ed Koch, and Sue Sebastian. There is a slot for anyone interested in helping the center move into its new form.

  On to the Big Issue: For a year, the Center has been contracted with CCOA, their new agency for food services. The board was informed by CCOA that as of July 1, they would no longer pay for staff (coordinator, cook and assistant cook), and that they would only provide the Center with reimbursements based on the number of meals served.

  The board was left with the dilemma of trying to find ways to continue its meal services for what was sometimes only a group of less than ten. Meal attendance was very inconsistent, a budget would be hard to establish and follow, and how or why to pay for kitchen help with low meal attendance.

 The question of to keep or not to keep CCOA was made easier to answer in that there was no real benefit to keeping them—CCOA always took 23% of what they gave the Center, whereas the previous agency for many years, EOA, charged under 1%. Outgoing board member, Ken Patterson, said, “Many agencies took the money before we got it—CCOA was an indirect hit—we wound up with the bones instead of the meat!”

  The new Senior Center will be run by volunteers only, for the time being. Head Granny, Ruth Richter, and her co-hort, Peggy Parker, have offered to temporarily cover basic responsibilities--answering the phone, maintaining schedules, renting the facility—as they are often around the center.

  For meals, they will schedule a volunteer or a volunteer group who will provide one meal a month, along with an after-dinner activity. The center will provide a $100 stipend to help pay for the meal and partakers will be asked to make a donation as they have been doing. It can be a thematic dinner such as Full Moon, BBQ Burgers and Brats, Mexican night, etc.

  Center volunteers will continue to organize community fundraisers, like Bazaars, Home Tour, Rummage Sales, Talent Show and Bingo. Volunteers could schedule presentations as do the Friends of the Library; teach classes; offer general health services; provide service for the homebound; and promote the center as a place to visit, have a cuppa, use wifi, read, and catch up with each other. Stay tuned.

    The last regular Thursday breakfast at 9:30 am, will be on 6/27, with Ham & Eggs Scramble, Hash Browns, Biscuit and Fruit.

  Our last regular Dinner will be served at 6pm, Friday, 6/28. Rachel will cook Chicken-Fried Steak, Vegetable, Salad Bar and Trifle.

  But don’t despair: July 4 PANCAKE BREAKFAST will be from 8-11am, with Pancakes, Eggs, Sausage, Hash Browns, OJ and hot drinks, for $5. Bring yo family.

  Ione’s free Exercise Class will continue on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3pm. Wear loose clothing and make friends while toning up.

  The Center can be reached at 462-3943 or gvseniors@frontiernet.net, or stop in at 261 S. Middle Fork Road, when you see a car! Granny’s Closet is a good time shopping, with fantastic prices and merchandise and you can derive all sorts of the latest info from the grannies: Fri, 12-5 and Sat, 10 (again) -4. Feel like volunteering? Just say so. See you at the Center.