Volunteer of the Month
Archives

November 2019
Linda Sowell

Photo of Linda Sowell

This month we’d like to shine the light on a new, yet not new volunteer. If you read last month’s newsletter, specifically the Activity Spotlite, you would have read a bit about Linda Sowell. Well this month we’d like to shine an even larger spotlight on her as our Volunteer of the Month. Linda is the new Gadabouts Trip Coordinator. She had been working in the Thrift Store and was asked to be a relief in the Trip office. When a vacancy occurred she was asked to take over, which she was more than happy to do. Since then she has been busy scheduling new trips, chaperoning trips on occasion, and generally managing our hustling and bustling trip office. Linda also serves on our Board of Directors. If needed she also helps out at our special events. Originally from Chicago, IL, she moved out to California with her husband who was in the Navy. Once out here she was not content to stay at home raising her two kids (who themselves provided her with five grandkids), but worked in numerous types of jobs. Her main career was in Food Service. She started out at McDonalds as a cashier, and worked her way up to manager. Then she transferred to the school system where she became the Director of Children’s Nutrition for the Bear Valley School District before retiring. Thanks Linda for helping to take our members on trips of a lifetime.

Featured Class

Watercolor
Date: October 1, 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

T.O.P.S.
Time: Tuesdays 8:15 - 10:15 am
Cost: members
       non-members
Location: Sun Room
Description: For anyone who has tried to lose weight, you know how hard it can be. Well you don’t have to do it alone. T.O.P.S. or Taking Off Pounds Sensibly is a group dedicated to helping others shedding some pounds. TOPS is a national organization with regional groups that meet. TOPS does not sell food or have one stop meal plans. They help you reach your weight-loss goals by focusing on health and providing you with the tools, information, support, and accountability for YOU to lose the weight. TOPS can't do the work for you. You only get out of TOPS what you put into it. At the meetings there are private weigh-ins before they start, then members share challenges, successors, or goals. This is followed by a brief program as well as awards to the best losers (that’s a good thing), contest winners, and members who’ve reached their goal. Our group meets here at the Center every Tuesday at 8:15 a.m. Everyone who wants to take off or keep off pounds is welcome. Come visit and find out what they are all about. Their motto is “As intelligent persons we will control our emotions and not let our emotions control us.” Of course this carries over to our eating habits. They hope to see you there. And less of you every time thereafter!

Koffee Klub

Join the Highland Senior Center for our FREE Koffee Klub. Come enjoy an informational meeting with a home cooked breakfast on the 2nd Thursday of each month. We feature great speakers and timely life topics. Please make sure you R.S.V.P. at (909)862-8104 !

December’s Koffee Klub was presented by our very own Executive Director, Penny Lilburn, who did a presentation on our very own Operation Senior Claus (O.S.C.). For those you who do not know, O.S.C. is a program run by the center where we deliver a home cooked holiday meal and a basket filled with food and goodies. The recipients are home bound seniors in the area.
We receive referrals from local senior housing apartments and mobile home parks as to who could use a hot meal delivered by a friendly face for the holidays. The center has been collecting non-perishable food for months prior as well as receiving donations for Stater Bros. gift cards which are then divided amongst over 150 seniors.
However, to deliver all these goodies we need drivers who come to the center and take no more than 3 baskets each. Each driver will only give up about one hour of their time, including pick up and deliver, ensuring that our seniors enjoy days of happiness. If you would like to donate your time or money please contact the center at (909)862-8104.