Volunteer of the Month
Archives

July 2019
Charles Roberts

Photo of Charles Roberts

This month we’d like to give thanks to a familiar face, but one you might not know of in relation to the Highland Senior Center. Charles Roberts is the former editor of the Highland Community News, where he was a big supporter of the Highland Senior Center and would often visit the center to cover our events and activities. However when he retired at the end of 2017, he continued to support our center, but in a different capacity. Before retiring, he asked Jeff, the Outreach Director if we could use some volunteers, as he did not want to become bored. Well, he asked the right person, as he was immediately made a Transportation Assistance Program (TAP) driver. He volunteers to drive just about every weekday, and sometimes on weekends as well. Yet his helping us out doesn’t stop there. He also helps out in our Food Program, three days a weeks. He sorts outs the food we bring in and then helps us to pass it out to our seniors. We would also like to thank his wife, Myrna, who gives him time off from his retirement Honey Do list to help us out.

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

Scrabble
Time: Mondays 1:00 p.m.
Cost: Free members
      Free non-members
Location: Game Room
Description: The scrabble group is looking for people who know how to mind their p's and q's. Or any of the letters of the alphabet. The group is down to a handful of players and are ready, willing, and able for more players to join them. Basically, 'Scrabble' is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Proper nouns, abbreviations, or hyphenated words, with some exceptions, are not allowed. You can however, come up with the theoretically highest known score of 1,778 points for joining 8 already-played tiles to form the word OXYPHENBUTAZONE across three triple-word-score squares, while simultaneously extending 7 specific already-played words to form new words. Our Scrabble group meets every Monday at 1:00 p.m. in the game room, and is free for everyone. Good luck on the OXYPHENBUTAZONE.
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 wasn’t 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 haven’t Wii Bowled in years didn’t 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.