September 2024 Newsletter

Hi Everyone.

My newsletter today starts with a story told to me twenty-five years ago, but one I never forgot. My volunteer work, in those years, was with a seniors Kiwanis Club in Abbotsford. I was part of their fund-raising. I sold them Watkins products, and they got the profit, smart weren’t they? The next thing I knew they had voted me their President and in turn I learned life lessons from them. It was as if I had 30 parents to talk to.

It was great! One of the members, Elspeth Fitzmaurice, was a poet and a painter and one day when I made a Watkins delivery to her she said “I see you looking at my sliding door and it’s not very clean on the lower half”. I had noticed but I didn’t wonder why. She then told me her little grandchildren, 2 and 3 years of age, had visited her on the weekend and they had been busy looking out her door at her garden and their fingerprints were everywhere. She then told me she wouldn’t be washing those fingerprints until they visited next year as she loved looking at them and she knew that every time she looked at them she would smile and remember their visit. I thought about this for a moment and said how lovely and then forgot about it. 

Over the last twenty-five years, my twelve grandchildren have come and gone and when they left I would clean windows and put my house in order until this past long weekend. Now we have five great grandchildren with two more coming soon. Two great granddaughters aged three and 15 months came for a visit and guess what they did???? They looked out my sliding door at the flowers and I sat and watched them with a smile on my face. Elspeth wouldn’t wash the windows; she’d instead enjoy those fingerprints and now so will me.

Aging has taught me a few things; don’t be in a hurry when a memory is so wonderful you want to save it. Maybe I’ll leave that sliding door until they come again, and I’ll have it clean for them to enjoy the view.

The Centre is up and running strong after our summer holiday. Thirteen of our members volunteered to BBQ hot dogs at Choice’s Market food store on the 6th, 7th, and 8th of September, with the donations from the BBQ going to the Centre. How great was that!!! They care about our Community and informed us that the last Wednesday of every month everyone gets 15% off everything in the store, including sale items.

Our Board had a long meeting in September as we didn’t meet in August. So many things came up for us to decide on: Just so you know if you wish to attend any board meeting they happen on the third Wednesday of the month at 9:00 a.m. You are welcome to attend, but you cannot voice anything, you just get to listen. If you want something brought up please bring it to the attention of a Board member in time to be put on the agenda.

Our kitchen is the money maker for our Centre and we have decided that the Canasta players need a space they can call home. As the smaller activity room is vacant on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, it is now earmarked for them. The activity drop in fee for games and cards will be $2.00 per session as of January 1, 2025, to catch up with other activities we offer.

Donna, our Librarian, is on the hunt for large print Books and she will take any donations including hardcovers. We only take hardcover books with large print. Donna has been buying hardcover books from Fireside Books with a donation from a member who moved away. This lovely donation covers half the cost of the books at the store so we will take the donations from the Donation jar on the kitchen counter to cover the other 50% for more books. Many people have failing eyesight and the large print books work for them to be able to read. Please donate.

Now some fun stuff to read: I’m heading our Thanksgiving lunch and tickets will be going on sale Monday the 7th of October, costing $20.00. Payment must be made when you purchase your ticket(s). A full turkey dinner and dessert will be served, with entertainment by the Ramblers. They are a small group of guys who entertain in nursing homes and seniors’ centres. They work for free but would love donations (in the donation box that will be provided). The money goes to the Children’s Hospital. Our dinner will be held on Sunday, October 27th, with doors opening at 11:30.

I know we will all have a fun time so don’t delay getting your ticket.

Some more fun stuff to entertain you: Music Trivia Bingo: My daughter Angela and I were talking about fund raising for the Centre, and she suggested Music Trivia Bingo. She plays every Thursday evening at a Pub, and she says it is so much fun! OK how do we so this? She got on her phone and made a call to the Bingo caller who brings her own equipment, bingo cards, and dabbers and told her about our Centre. The caller said she’d love to do this - just name the date, and what kind of music we’d like. The music will be 50’s, 60’s, for one set, and then it will be Christmas favourites for the second set. There will be prizes and special dessert treats (I’ll need some volunteer bakers to bring these into the Centre) and coffee and tea served in between sets. The date we have set for this event is Saturday, November 23rd, at 1:00 PM. You will be hearing more about this as we go along. Tickets will be on sale November 4th costing $15.00 and we will only print 6o tickets so get yours early.

Our winner for this month’s draw is Thom Prichard. Congratulations, Thom.

Have a great month, and be good to each other.

Bev Swann
Editor