News

First, I want to say Thank You to Angie for her hard work as the Thrift Store Manager in the last 5 years. Angie became the Re-in-Carnation Thrift Store manager in July of 2018 and had been a Thrift Store volunteer since 2015 before that. When the small white house couldn’t be used as a location for the Thrift Store, she worked on creating the most available space in the program rooms downstairs. During COVID-19, while the Thrift Store was closed, she worked in the kitchen helping to serve meals.

As we came out of COVID-19, Angie was very flexible in the store hours in order to bring in the most customers while also keeping our participants safe. Currently the Thrift Store is on track to have one of its most successful years ever, and that is due in large part to Angie’s creativity, when looking at the new dollar section, the increase in social media presence, and new sales.

We are sad to be losing Angie as the Re-in-Carnation Thrift Store manager, but are excited to see where life takes her (in her new travel trailer). We are excited to welcome Colleen James as our new Thrift Store Manager, who will be starting with us, the first week of July.

You may have noticed a new bench and planters in front of our generator. Those were built and installed by Spencer Pitt, for his Eagle Scout project! I look forward to seeing them used as we get out of the “Juneuary” we have been experiencing.

There will be a lot of construction happening around the senior center this summer. We are having our entrance ramps re-done, starting with the east ramps (flag pole side) on Monday, July 17 and then they will work on the west ramps.

Construction is also set to start on the Affordable Senior Apartments at the end of July. This means that our parking lot will no longer be available. The construction team has been instructed to start by creating pull-in parking along Stephens Avenue in order to offset some of the loss in parking numbers.

This construction is scheduled to last about 1 year, and we know that it will impact those coming into the senior center and Re-in-Carnation Thrift Store. We will provide more information as we have it about what changes will be happening and when.

If you have questions about the Affordable Senior Housing project, please call or email me, at 425-333-4152 ext. 1 or kiraa@soundgenerations.org. As we get closer to finishing construction, we’ll be able to share out information about how to apply for an apartment, which we currently do not have.

You can also call or email me if you have any comments, concerns or questions about the Sno-Valley Senior Center.

Happy Summer!

Kira Avery, Executive Director

I’m excited to introduce Carol Ladwig as our new FESH Hub coordinator! Carol Ladwig has lived in Duvall for more than 20 years and has worked throughout the community. A former Microsoft technical writer, she’s been a reporter for the Valley View, River Current News and Snoqualmie Valley Record newspapers, and editor for the RCN and SVR. She also helps with publicity for Snoqualmie Valley Transportation and Mt. Si Senior Center and does the occasional freelance article. Her interests in the community center around transportation, senior housing and community events like Duvall’s March of the Vegetables. Her hobbies include yoga, gardening, going to Kraken games and dreaming up ways to keep her cat, Ted, from waking her up at the crack of dawn every day.

I also want to say thank you to Valerie Stewart for all of her hard work with us for the past 3 years. Her ability to create relationships, with various programs, organizations, and senior centers will be missed. We wish her luck as she starts a new position on the peninsula!

We had a wonderful Plant Sale on the first weekend of May, and raised $20,000 (after expenses) for the Sno-Valley Senior Center. Our Plant Sale committee is a wonderful group, that meets and plans for months in advance to put on a great event for our organization. Darcy Dinwiddie is our Plant Sale chair, leading this successful event. Tami Agnew & Sue Bowers did a great job of ordering us a wide variety of plants, making us the largest, most comprehensive plant sale on the Eastside. Lois Goodman, Pat Beagle, and Maria Gerace worked to get donated plants (including the wonderful tomatoes), coordinating delivering, picking them up, and even taking care of them at their own houses until the sale!

John Lambert and Dan Acker oversaw the logistics of set-up and take-down, as well as getting us all the canopies and tables we need. Cecelia McCorkle coordinated close to 100 volunteers throughout the entire week of the sale and Angie Hartung worked with the Cashiers! Denise Crutchfield oversaw the First Picks Party on Thursday, May 4, working hard to get donated items and coupons to include in everyone’s gift bags.

Thank you to everyone on our committee, as well as those who volunteered, and attended!

You’ll see in the newsletter that we are having a Membership Drive this month! What does this mean for you?

If you become a member or renew (you can do this early) your membership in June, you’ll get two months free! Consider    buying a membership for a friend or for someone who can’t afford one. Membership is $60 for one person or $75 for the household, for the year.

There is also a discount on Lifetime Membership, $450 for one person, $750 for a couple, and you never have to pay dues again!

Renew or purchase a membership in June and you’ll also get entered into a drawing for fun prizes!

Why become a member or renew your membership?

¨ It’s a powerful way to show your support and commitment that the programs we offer should continue and you value what we do.

¨ Enjoy a free lunch at our monthly birthday lunch in the month of your birthday.

¨ Get voting privileges on the board slate and bylaws changes.

¨ Our monthly newsletter is mailed to you

¨ 10% off hall rentals for events like birthdays, weddings, parties

¨ 50% off your purchase at Re-in-Carnation Thrift Store on the first Wednesday of the month!

You don’t have to be a member to participate in any of our classes or activities, but members get privileges like those listed above. If you would like to become a member, but can’t afford the fee, we have scholarships available, just let me know.

If you have comments, questions, or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at kiraa@soundgenerations.org or 425-333-4152.

Kira Avery, Executive Director

 May Directors Letter—Lisa Yeager retires!

The Sno-Valley Senior Center has been part of my life for over 20 years! I started as Director of the Senior Center in 2001 – 2008. This building was still fairly new to us. We were known for our steak  dinners and pie auction, then we added a plant sale and an auction gala. I left for new adventures in 2008 but then I served on the SVSC board until returning as Director in March 2016. But now I get to retire! It is bittersweet as my friendships and connections with this Center are so deep. I will miss you all and our incredible staff so much.

 I am excited about the future for SVSC with Kira Avery leading. Programs and attendance are growing. The Center plays more of a role in the community than ever. It’s an exciting time! Especially with the new housing project to start construction this summer!

I will be living with my husband, Dave Kylen, in Port Townsend but also being a snowbird in Cave Creek, Arizona. I look forward to lots of volunteering and time for hobbies and my garden. I know I won’t be able to resist visiting the Center often for various events and to check the progress of the housing project. You are invited to stop by and visit me anytime. My personal e-mail address is yeagerlisa69@gmail.com

I really, really hope you’ll come to my lunchtime retirement party on Wednesday, May 31st at noon at the Sno-Valley Senior Center! All are welcome! I wish all of you my best and pray you’ll keep me informed as to your lives. I will continue as a donor to this wonderful senior center and look forward to seeing you around.

All the best, Lisa

We thank Lisa for her time as Director at the Sno-Valley Senior Center from 2001-2008 and from 2016-2023, her leadership has brought us through challenges and moved us forward as an organization.

May is Older American’s Month and the theme this year is “Aging Unbound” which offers an opportunity to explore diverse aging experiences and discuss how communities can combat stereotypes. Thanks to YOU we are combating stereotypes every day, by offering active and diverse programming.

To celebrate Older Americans Month and Physical Fitness & Sports Month, ALL fitness classes will be FREE the week of May 15-19! You can invite a friend or try something new, see the full schedule on the programming calendar in this newsletter.

I would also invite you to GiveBIG for seniors this year! GiveBIG is a statewide fundraising campaign where individuals and organizations come together across Washington to invest in our communities. Early giving started on April 18 and culminates in 48 hours of giving May 2-3.

This year we are reaching for our biggest goal, to raise $20,000! To help us reach that goal, every dollar donated will be matched up to $8,500 due to the generosity of the Michael & Gina (Cambio) Fisette Charitable Trust & Kimberly Smith with Weichert Realtors   Pillar Northwest! The link to give is: https://www.wagives.org/organization/snovalleyseniorcenter

We were reminded of the importance of having your contact and emergency contact information on file, after an incident involving one of our vans. Everyone involved is ok, however, it highlighted an area where we will be more heavily focused in the coming months.

If you have comments, questions, or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at kiraa@soundgenerations.org or 425-333-4152.

Kira Avery, Executive Director

PS. You may have received a postcard or packet referring to the 2021 Data Incident at Sound Generations, and a class action settlement. This is a follow-up notification to a letter that was sent in December 2021, letting potentially affected individuals know about the breach. If you have questions you can call 1-844-510-2004 or go to the website listed on the card at www.SGDataSettlement.com.

April Directors Letter

First, I want to say Thank You to Valerie Stewart, for her hard work as the Veteran’s Seniors Human Services Levy Program Coordinator for the past 3 years. Val has helped to bring programs and resources to the Sno-Valley, Mt. Si, and Issaquah Senior Centers, that otherwise would not have happened.

Thanks to Val, SeaMar is going to each of those senior centers every week to bring Spanish Speaking programs where there haven’t been in the past, POCAAN is coming to Sno-Valley and Mt. Si twice a month, to offer free health care services, and Indian American Community Services was able to host there first in-person Chai and Chat groups, which saw over 15 people at Mt. Si and Sno-Valley.

Val’s ability to create relationships, especially within three entirely different senior centers will be missed. We wish her luck as she starts a new position on the peninsula!

I also want to congratulate Mindie Ribail for being chosen as one of Keep it Local Snoqualmie Valley Employees of the Quarter! Mindie consistently goes above and beyond in her role, and is being acknowledged for her kindness, patience, and work ethic, as well as the contributions she makes to the Sno-Valley Senior Center.

April is also Volunteer Appreciation Month, celebrating the impact volunteers have on our lives and encourages active volunteerism in generations to come. The work that Sno-Valley Senior Center does, and the impact we have on the community would not be possible without our volunteers!

With only 11 staff (including two Hyde Shuttle Drivers and one Chef) at Sno-Valley, the 140+ volunteers that help in all areas of the center are the reason why we are successful in our mission to cultivate a welcoming, inclusive gathering place that supports, inspires, and our Snoqualmie Valley community to lead healthy, enriched lives through participation in diverse programs.

In 2022 alone, 147 volunteers donated almost 11,000 hours of their time to making the Sno-Valley Senior Center the best it can be, which was recognized by the Snoqualmie Valley Record as “best Senior Facility” in the Valley! To celebrate our volunteers, we are hosting a Volunteer Appreciation Event on Wednesday, April 19 from 4:00-6:00pm. Drinks and dessert will be provided, and you are encouraged to bring a dish to share (no shame in store bought)! To RSVP, you can add your name to the list at the Front Desk or send an email to kendram@soundgenerations.org.

We have now had evening programming at the Sno-Valley Senior Center for 1 year, and we are so encouraged by the participation we’ve had. We are staffed Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings to offer the programs listed below (and we are always looking to add more!). I hope you will stop by to try something out, especially now that it’s staying lighter, later in the day.

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Current Events Meet-Up: Every other Monday from 4:00-6:00pm
• Zumba Gold: Every Monday at 6:30pm
• Functional Fitness with Laura: Tuesdays at 4:30pm
• Social Dance Class: Thursdays at 7pm

Various programs, such as basket making or chocolate making are occurring more often in the evening, check the calendar!

If you have comments, questions, or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at kiraa@soundgenerations.org or 425-333-4152.

Kira Avery, Executive Director

March Directors Letter

I’m excited to share with you our 2022 Gratitude Report, included in this newsletter. In 2022 we were excited to be open for a full year since 2019. We upgraded the community computer lab with new computers, monitors, and a new printer. Our programming calendar continued to expand with classes like Otago, Basket Making, and Tai Chi.

We were able to offer evening programming after hiring Senior Center Assistant, Kendra Mass, and now have fitness programming 3 evenings per week (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays).

Thanks to a capital campaign lead by Lisa Yeager, we raised the funds needed to build affordable senior housing, right here in the Snoqualmie Valley.

Some of the most impactful difference makers were our GEMs- those who Give Every Month. We have 44 households that donate   every month, who provide us with consistent funding that we can rely on to support, inspire, and uplift our community to lead healthy, enriched lives.

Why become a monthly donor? Our GEMs compound their impact with a consistent cash flow, which makes us a better, more efficient organization that can be more innovative and able to meet the needs of more people than ever.

We have 44 GEMs today, and our goal is to have 55 by the end of March. YOU can help us reach that goal!

When asked why they give, one of our monthly donors said, “It is a wonderful community resource that we personally benefit from physically, emotionally, and socially.”

What can your monthly gift accomplish?

• $100 per month can provide 20 hot, made-from-scratch meals per month.
• $75 per month covers the cost if 1 month of fitness classes.
• $50 per month covers the cost of support group counseling for grief and for caregivers for two groups each month.
• $30 per month provides homebound seniors with 5 meals of nutritious good delivered to their door, each month.
• $20 per month covers the cost for a senior to attend 2 classes per month (creative writing, Yoga, Drums Alive, etc).
• $10 per month provides small supplies needed for a minor home repair.

Any amount makes a difference (one-time gifts are also a wonderful way to support Sno-Valley Senior Center if you’re unable to do monthly!).

When you start making a monthly pledge, we will send you a small gift, to show our gratitude for your support!

In the meantime, enjoy all the accomplishments presented in our 2022 Gratitude Report. Our success is your success!

If you have comments, questions, or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at kiraa@soundgenerations.org or 425-333-4152.Kira Avery, Executive Director