Rainy River Seniors Depot 2023: A summary of our year
January 2023: New years day Smear and Potluck in our PJs!
Everyone is welcome to our monthly meetings at 11 on the first Wednesday of each month.
Bereavement group meets at 10 on Mondays
Smear every Tuesday: play at 1:30, Soup and Smear on Friday afternoons for the winter
Wednesday morning coffee and chat from 10 to 12
We were invited to Stratton Seniors for lunch on the 19th
A group was started to enjoy acrylic and watercolour painting Wednesday afternoons
Two teams of four met on Thursdays for the winter at 6:30 to curl on our new “Cool Curling” board.
The Executive met with our representative form the Ministry of Seniors and Accessibility to fine tune the Senior Active Living Centre application for our new Provincial Grant to cover April 2023 to March 2024. This will be used for improved access to our site for disabled seniors as well as money for education programs and to develop training for seniors to be able to connect remotely with our meetings, health, wellness and fitness programs at the depot, excursions, art and craft programs. Monthly lunches and more.
We have had difficulty getting answers from Ed Kaun and sons re: the automatic door we had ordered.
February: Work on the new 2023-24 grant was completed and grant was submitted to SALC.
Rebecca met with the building inspector who generously assisted with measurements and advice to ensure that the door could be installed according to code.
The Fix It Club has been working on a new cupboard to replace the table that we normally use to serve food. This will provide storage for dishes, cutlery and whatever else we need for serving food. A counter top and handles have been ordered from Thompkins Hardware in Emo. It will be nice to get rid of cardboard boxes that inevitably end up under the table.
A water filtration system has been ordered from Oak Grove Enterprises which will be installed before our current grant ends.
The first Community Kitchen was held on the 13th. Participants enjoyed lunch and took home beef, biscuits and a berry dessert.
Wednesday morning coffee and chat continues weekly.
Art classes continue on Wednesdays with 8 participants most days. Thrish Jinadassa gave a great lesson on painting watercolour flowers.
Cool Curling and laughter is enjoyed on Thursday nights by two funnily competitive teams.
Bobbi Jo (Paramed) is coming to our monthly meetings at 10 to test blood sugar and pressure before the meeting.
March: Our election of officers was held at the end of our March meeting. Most of the current executive had previously let the membership know that they would be stepping down after a number of years of service. The new executive would take over on the first of April. This would give the new executive the month of March to contact the outgoing members with questions about how to proceed.
New Executive for 2023-24 is as follows:
President: Florence Newman (replacing Rebecca Wood)
Vice President Carol Pratt (replacing Angele White)
Secretary Norma Johnston (continuing)
Treasurer Dawn Jarvis (replacing Cathy Seguin)
Events Coordinator Linda Budreau (continuing)
After many phone calls we have learned that the only way we will be able to book an excursion to Winnipeg will be to drive to Emo, leave our cars there and catch the Ontario Northland bus which goes through Kenora to Winnipeg. Six people have signed up and the trip was booked. Participants each paid $150 deposit with most other expenses paid for by our current grant. While in Winnipeg we enjoyed Spaghetti at the Old Spaghetti Factory and shopping at The Forks on our first night. The next morning we had breakfast at our hotel followed by an Uber ride to The Leaf at Assiniboine Park. It was so great to walk into a tropical garden in the middle of winter. Our Uber then took us back to the Forks where we enjoyed Diane’s favorite cinnamon buns and coffee, then back to our hotel to freshen up for an evening with Elvis, Marilyn and friends at heartbreak Hotel (aka Celebrations Dinner Theatre). After breakfast the next morning the smear regulars taught the non-players how to play smear while we waited to go to our bus home.
Back at home, now the crunch was on to get what we could of the grant spent as the cheques had to be written by the last day of March. It was now obvious we wouldn’t be getting the door, so a call was made to SALC for permission to spend it elsewhere. We have also asked Windows and Doors for an estimate to do the door with our next grant. They sent a person out right away do measure for the estimate.
Our card tables were as old, weak and wobbly as many of us. A decision was made to replace them with sturdier fare. Calls were made to wholesalers and restaurant suppliers from near and far with no-one guaranteeing we could get them by the end of the month. Then I called Green’s in Fort Frances. There was no guarantee, but they were pretty sure as they would be getting a regular order around that time. We went for it. Our furniture was delivered on the last day of March, put together, set up and paid for just in time.
Our water filter was installed.
A computer was purchased for the use of the new executive.
The guys from the fix it club brought the finished cupboard in, Jennifer and Rebecca put a coat of paint on and the place was looking pretty spiffy for the first of April.
Regular groups continued meeting
March 31: Year End – all expenses must be in.
Memberships are due.
April After a week delay due to a snow storm, our new executive chaired their first meeting and the membership welcomed them and wished them well.
We were given permission to start planning and spending the new SALC grant.
Smear continues every Tuesday and Friday, without the soup because winter is supposed to be over.
Regular groups continued meeting
May The month began with the second Community kitchen on May 1.
May general meeting held on the first Wednesday of the month.
Final report for last years grant was started.
Regular groups continued meeting
Bocce on the lawn for Thursdays at 6:30 was started
June Dawn Whiting, rep for SALC, Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility came for meeting with old and new executive and mayor Deb Ewald as well as Gajith Jinadassa , Community Development officer.
Purpose of the meeting was going forward with plans for grant spending for this year as well as preparing a long term plan for the Senior Active Living Centre.
General meeting and lunch was held the following day.
Deb Degroot brought walking sticks from the Health Unit for members to borrow.
Linda Budreau did a workshop with pressed flowers.
Regular groups continued meeting.
Final 2022-23 SALC Report has been submitted.
July No meetings were held over the summer
Regular Tues, Wed and Fri groups continued meeting
The Annual picnic on the lawn was held in July, featuring strawberries and ice cream a show of art by our art group and a sing-along.
August Regular groups continued meeting
Wednesday morning group played a game of mini-putt at the miniature golf course followed by take-out lunch.
Smear tournaments have been scheduled for the third Thursday of each month to the end of the year. Play starts at 1:30. Cost is $6 and you must bring your own partner. There is a break after 5 games for coffee and lunch
September Monthly general meetings resumed.
Regular groups continued meeting.
Smear tournament
October Regular groups continued meeting
Smear tournament: Attendance at smear tournaments have doubled.
November Regular groups continued meeting
Smear tournament
December Regular groups continued meeting
Our delicious Annual Christmas dinner was prepared by Michelle. Carol sing-along led by Norma and Theresa. Subsidized by our SALC grant. Thank you, Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility!
Smear tournament: last one this year. Looking for someone to take on responsibility for 2024.
