Volunteer of the Month
Archives

February 2019
Clay Kautzman

Photo of Clay Kautzman

This month we’d like to shine the light on someone who might be unfamiliar to most. Clayton “Clay” Kautzman. Unless you need to be taken for a ride. No, not that type of ride…a TAP ride! Clay is one of our top TAP drivers, taking homebound seniors to various places four days a week. It was his wife, Virginia, another TAP driver, who got him to start driving for us. Not just a TAP driver who also helps out serving dinners at our Thanksgiving but also delivers meals for our Operation Senior Claus. He’d like to do more but, while retired, he still is quite busy as a handyman at all of his and Virginia’s rental properties. Originally from Mandan, North Dakota, he came out to California due to his stint in the Marines. After getting out he went to school to learn more about computers. Following graduation he went to work for Western Union, GTE, then as a contractor out at Norton. Married to Virginia they have two boys, six grandkids, and one great-grandkid. Thanks Clay for taking time out of your busy schedule to take care of others.

Featured Class

Watercolor
Date: January 15, 2019
Time: 9:00 - 11:00 AM
Length: 8 weeks
Cost: $8 members
      $8 non-members
Instructor: Avon Hall
Location: Game Room
Description: Not only is this one of our oldest classes, but is also one of the oldest art forms going back to paleolithic times. Watercolor is a painting method in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-based solution. Watercolor refers to both the medium and the resulting artwork. Working with watercolors is difficult because with paint, it stays put. However, with watercolor, the paper and absorption changes the outline and appearance as it dries. Additionally, you have to be careful as colors can run into each other as they are absorbed, changing the shape and color of objects. If you mess up with paint you can paint over or scrape off the paint but in watercolor you might be able to partially correct a mistake by re-wetting and blotting making errors costly. To help you with this is Avon Hall, our Watercolor instructor. While Avon has no formal instruction as an art teacher, but does have lots of experience in art. While in the Air Force, and stationed in France 50 years ago, he took some art classes in oil painting and drawing. He did not take up watercolor until eight years ago, when he heard that we had a class and he was curious about it. Avon has won several prizes for his art, and has even sold some.

Featured Activity

Bunco
Time: Fridays 1:00 pm
Cost: $3 Buy-In members
       non-members
Location: Sun Room
Description: If you're ever here at the Center on a Friday, don't be surprised if you here a bunch of noise coming from the Parlor. Especially if it's yelling, laughing, and bell ringing! It's all just a part of the social game of Bunco. Strictly speaking, bunco is a game of dice, played in rounds. Players take turns rolling the dice and trying to accumulate as many points as possible to win each round. The game is played at tables of four in competing teams of two. Players score points by rolling three dice and trying to match the number they're supposed to roll for that round. They get a point for each die that rolls the number, and if all three roll the number they score 21 points. They also score 5 points for rolling three of a kind of any other number. They get to keep rolling as long as they score one or more points with each roll. Once they fail to score they pass the dice to their left and the opposing team gets a chance to score. During each round the teams at the Head Table try to score 21 points. The first team to score 21 points wins the round and play stops. At all other tables play stops when the Head Table play stops and the team with the highest score at each lower table wins the round. At the end of the round players change seats, the winners at each of the lower tables move up a table, and the losers at the head table move to the lowest table. Players also switch partners at the end of the round, so you never play with the same partner twice in a row. During play, players track the number of rounds they win and lose as a team, and the number of Buncos scored individually, on their personal scorecard. At the end of the night wins/losses and Buncos are tallied. So if having fun sounds fun to you, join the bunco crew every Friday in the Sun Room from 1:00 to 3:00.
Wii Bowling - Seniors vs Cops vs Firemen
By: Mike Sylva
If you looked out at the parking lot, you might have thought all heck was busting loose at the center, what with firetrucks and cop car parked out front. However, it wasnt a bad thing. They came to the center to participate in a very special Wii Bowling match.

The firemen and police officers played against our Wii Bowling Leagues Top Team. Fire consisted of C. Valenzuela, G. Mowat, R. Acevedo, and John Hagen (a former deputy who subbed for them). The Cops consisted of R. Collins, E. Ogaz, M. Maker, and E. Popa. Now the fact that the seniors bowl every week, year round, while the firemen and cops havent Wii Bowled in years didnt discourage our safety personnel. And while the scores may not reflect it, they actually did well. Final scores were: Seniors 1747, Cops 1196, and Fire 1173. We hope to make this an annual classic. Who knows how it will turn out next year with a year to practice.