“Now that the holiday season is over, it is back to work with a will and a purpose. The will is to expand our Board of Directors to include broader representation from the community and add expertise. And there is not one purpose but two and nothing else matters to me right now but those two. We must continue fundraising and we must find a new place to be by June 30.
Hunting for a new building is not easy. Commercial property is out of our budget unless someone wants to donate a space or give us a real break on rent. Warehouse space would be cheaper but then there is a lot of internal and costly work to do. We have been offered buildings to rent: The Horseman’s Association and The Love Building but the kitchens are way too small for our Senior Nutrition Program. We would have to build an addition in either place and find office space for staff and storage. We thank all for offering these places though. If the world were a perfect place, it would mean we would be welcome to stay where we are and that there would be money for our rent.
We have a couple more offers to check out and we are reaching out for other places. You will be kept posted about the plans. And, if you have any happy thoughts, suggestions, buildings, funds, good wishes, good fortune, board members or a positive spirit to give us, it will be accepted with heartfelt thanks.”
Linda Pritchard, President, Board of Directors
We have some suggestions for New Year’s Resolutions. Here are some ideas that will benefit you physically, intellectually, and financially.
1. Get in shape, lose weight, and improve cardiovascular system ~ Join a fitness class at the Center.
2. Learn a new skill such as painting, writing or computer graphics ~ See class schedule in this issue for class offerings.
3. Learn to Ballroom Dance ~ Tuesday afternoons at the Center.
4. Eat at least one well-balanced, hearty meal a day ~ See the menu for the High Noon Café.
5. Provide healthy meals for others. Adopt a Senior for Home Delivered Meals. Your regular monthly contribution to the High Noon Senior Meals Program will provide a hot, ready-to-eat meal delivered to a homebound elderly person. For more details call 273-4961.
6. Explore the country or the world ~ Check out travel opportunities at the Center.
Get a head start on next year’s gifts. Come to the Watercolor class on Monday or Needlework Circle on Thursday.
8. Thoroughly clean at least one closet or room each month and donate at least one prized possession that needs a new home for the Center’s Thrift Store. This is an amazing source of income for the Center.
9. Share your skills or talents ~ Become a volunteer for events and projects.
Free admission to events when you volunteer for a shift.)
10. Renew your membership at the Community Senior Center ~ Your contribution helps sustain our effort to offer a variety of classes, activities, events, and information.
Save
Money ~ Use
your membership to access all the suggested New Year's
resolutions.
You will:
Get in shape
Eat well
Learn new skills
Meet people who are interested in the same things you are,
sharing skills
and Interests while benefiting our Center and the community.
From Drs. Kay and Max, “Volunteering helps your community, provides resources that might not otherwise be available, and can be of great benefit to the emotional and physical health of the volunteer. Volunteering can improve self-esteem and reduce risk of depression. A University of Michigan study showed that people who volunteer 40 hours or less in a year lived longer than those who did not volunteer.”
“Living is the art of loving. Loving is the art of caring. Caring is the art of sharing. Sharing is the art living. If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.” – Booker T. Washington.
Let's keep on laughing ~ We can do it!
Less Than Four Months to June 30th
You could compare finding a new site for the Community Center to being on a list waiting for an organ transplant. The prognosis for health is very good if the Center can survive past the June 30th deadline to vacate the current location at the fairgrounds.
We have explored many possible locations, including the Love Building at Condon Park, Horsemen’s Lodge, Grass Valley Vets Building, and a few churches. None of these locations can accommodate the needs of the High Noon Senior Nutrition Program, even if we were to abandon offering Community Center classes, activities, and services.
“More than a meal”
The Nutrition Program provides “more than a meal”. Of the 250 meals prepared each day, 78% are home delivered to isolated elderly. To qualify to receive meals, a person must live alone, no longer drive, and have no in-home support for preparing meals. Therefore the visit by the meal delivery driver is often the only outside contact the recipient has all day. The drivers are caring people, and with the added training they receive to be “gatekeepers”, they are observant of changes in the physical or emotional wellbeing of those they visit, linking them to other support and services if needed.
Space required
In order to administer the nutrition program a minimum of 500 to 800 square feet of office space is required with four workstations, computers, internet access, storage for records, and confidential interview space for clients and volunteers.
To produce the meals, we must have a 1,500 square foot kitchen, food storage, and clean-up space. There must also be storage space for the 15 hot meal carriers and 15 ice chests as well as the packing supplies for approximately 190 meals five days a week.
On the horizon
Recently we learned of a project that may accommodate only the nutrition program. We may be able to work with a builder of a new apartment complex to increase the size of the structure to accommodate the nutrition program with the stipulation that that we pay for the improvements and subsequently, pay rent for the space. It appears that this could be a very workable solution but it will take over a year to complete this project.
In light of the following assets we provide to the fairgrounds and with an end goal in place and a timeline for exiting, it was thought that the Fair Board might be willing to extend our lease beyond June 30th.
The Community Center is a predictable source of income
Although it is a tenant, the nutrition program provides a fully equipped kitchen that weekend renters of the building can use. The State Department of Aging owns all of the kitchen equipment right down to the garbage disposals. This equipment can only be used by programs that serve seniors under their contracts. It would have to be removed if the nutrition program left.
The Community Center and the Nutrition program pay the utilities and insurance on the building even while it is used by the weekend renters and other groups on weekday evenings
Unfortunately at this point in time, the committee of the Fair Board that makes decisions regarding non-fair activity, is adamant they do not want to extend the lease for use of the building for Community Center activities and seems to be reluctant to negotiate for even the operation of the nutrition program.
Hopeful…
We are still hopeful that the ideal location can be found or that we could extend the current lease knowing a new location will be available within a year. Then we would only have to move once saving a considerable amount of money and avoiding fragmentation of services.
We want to keep our designation by the Area 4 Agency on Aging as a “Focal Point” by offering an array of services and opportunities to access classes, activities, and information.
With the information and offers we have at this time, it is likely that the nutrition program will have to fragment into two locations, one for meal production and delivery and another for administration – to receive inquiries for service, process clients, recruit volunteers, bookkeeping, contract reporting compliance. Staff will shuttle between the two locations to assure that service is coordinated properly. As yet unanswered is where those locations will be and if the dining room for the High Noon Café will be in a third place.
Your continued support of the Community Center through membership and participation will demonstrate there is still a need and a will to have a community center. All support for the Gold Country Community Center is also support for the High Noon Senior Nutrition Program. All memberships and fundraising benefit both programs.
The Community Center exists for and because of you.
One of the best ways we raise money and make new friends is with our special events – and we just had a great one!
The 9th Annual Celebrity Waiter Dinner ..was a huge success. The Community Center dining room was transformed into a marvelous cave replete with cave drawings and the Flintstone’s Flintmobile. Thank you to all who bought Funny Money and tipped their caveperson celebrity waiters so royally. Special thank you’s to Dave Caddy and Jeff Pardini of Hills Flat Lumber for barbequing the brontosaurus ribs and to June Henriquez from Diego’s Restaurant for catering the event. Thank you also to sponsors Medical Benefits Administration, Grass Valley Kiwanis, and Hills Flat Lumber. And the winner is…for the third year in a row, Linda Bullotti and Robin Danos of Citizens Bank raised the most money from tips and auction and were declared Best Celebrity Waiters of 2008. Underground rumors of next year’s likely Circus theme have some people secretly plotting strategies to take the title away in 2009!
We are looking forward to the Southwest Bistro on May 16th and the Rough & Ready Bistro on June 6th. The Bistros present popular entertainment while dinner a casual, moderately priced dinner is served. Our major fundraiser is the 6th Grade Challenge scheduled for October 24th. It’s a fun-filled evening and fast-paced quiz game that pits teams of adults against each other to see which team can match the knowledge of our community’s sixth grade students. You can sponsor a team of six players who will endeavor to answer questions. You can also rent a 6th grade scholar if your team needs help. This year’s event has moved to the Grass valley Elks to have enough space to accommodate the large number of entrants. For more information and how to sponsor a team contact Sally Pattie 274-7749 or mitchbain@sbcglobal.net.
As we near our June 30th lease closure, there many things to consider. With the possibility for the High Noon Nutrition program to be incorporated into a new apartment complex in Grass Valley, our Board of Directors asked the Fair Board to consider extending our lease until the new site is completed. Both entities would benefit.
We would not have to move twice within two years and the people who use the Center would continue to enjoy the ample parking and convenient location. The Fair would also benefit from continued use of the fully equipped kitchen. However there are some challenges to staying. The Fair Board has made an independent agreement with the Computer Learning Center which would limit our use of a large part of the building. A few activities and services will be affected and possibly curtailed.
On the other hand, we could move the Nutrition Program to a temporary location with the benefit of lower rent and overhead costs. However the one we have identified has very limited parking and only a few activities could continue.
The GCCC Board of Directors met recently to decide whether to extend the current lease, or move to a temporary location until the new site is completed. At this time, the Board has not yet received a proposal for lease extension terms and costs reflecting the loss of space given to the Computer Learning Center. Some Board members feel that the cost savings and greater use of the facility at the temporary site are reason to relocate. Others feel that, if the new lease has a reasonable cost reduction reflecting space reduction, and if Community Center use could be extended to two evenings per month (currently it’s one per month) for fundraising events, it would be best to remain here until the new site is ready. The GCCC Board is awaiting more information from the Fair Board before making its final decision.
Now it’s your turn:
Although the High Noon Nutrition Program does receive approximately 40% percent of its operating funds from federal sources, those funds are earmarked for meal production and client oversight. Twenty-five percent comes from the participants contributing to a share of cost. The remaining 35% comes from fundraising.
The Community Center relies entirely on financial support through attendance to classes and activities, special events, membership and donations.
It takes more than a village plan, to set policy, publicize, and operate the Community Center and High Noon Senior Nutrition Program. It takes volunteers, Advisory and Events Committee members and individuals willing to serve on the Board of Directors.
Your membership is very important. It provides financial support and gives strength in numbers. The more members the stronger the organization
Rent ~ here we go again.
Staying in the current location requires raising a substantial amount
of money to pay the monthly rent. A little bit from each of us will
add up to cover the full payment. You can mail your rent dollars to
P.O. Box 968, Grass Valley or drop a little in the jars at the
Community Center each time you visit. Thank you.
“The Big
Scoop”, ice cream social and celebration
was a huge success. So far our board
members have raised $10,326 to meet to help pay the rent.
So far Keely Smith and Marj Sanchez are
leading in the contest to get the most “scoops” on their ice cream
cones with
Linda Pritchard right behind. You
can
see the display in the dining room at the Community Center.
The board
members are still out there asking for money and selling raffle tickets
to help
meet our total rent obligation for FY 07/08.
Our next big fundraising effort is the
Red Hot
& Blue
Bistro
Dinner on Friday,
September 12th
featuring
Wally
Brooks
on the
hottest piano in town
Just $12 for members and $15 for
others.
Raffle prizes include Silver necklace with a peridot
gemstone
pendant, two all day passes to Disneyland (expires 11/17/08) and gift
certificate for Baskin Robbins and 49er
More Good News!
The Adult and Family Services
Commission has determined its priorities for this year.
The commissioners have created work groups to
study and make recommendations regarding Mobility/Accessibility/Transportation,
Health services, Community Center/Recreation.
With this emphasis from AFSC, we will be gathering
supporting
information for a new Community Center and mustering all concerned to
move the
Community Center project forward.
Beth Moore
Vice President,