News 06/01/ 2021 Rainy River Senior Depot
The year so far…
January… in lockdown due to covid outbreak in Rainy River. We were sad to lose Irwin Johnston, a life- long resident of Rainy River and a member of our organization. A number of members were also affected with this horrible disease but fortunately recovered. We are awaiting funds from the Province of Ontario to plan a computer course.
February… At the end of February, we finally received the funding from the Provincial Government to go ahead with our plans to host a computer course for seniors.
March…Playing cards twice a week was resumed, as well as Wednesday drop-in and Norma’s new walking group. Research and ordering of new technology began, the Fix-it group was approached and built an attractive, strong locking cabinet for our laptops. Instructors were given the go-ahead to plan their lessons. Quotes began coming in and Troy Ricci was awarded the contract to set up our new (and only) website. He began right away to get things going and now we have a place for seniors in Rainy to go to find information that is of interest to them. By the end of March, we had 40 people registered for computer classes which were set to begin on April 6th, right after Easter. On April 1 Ontario went into a stay-at-home order starting April 6. Students were called and told we would call them again when we are able to re-open. We were granted an extension on our grant to the end of June.
April…The month was spent in and out of our homes and yards, one day in shorts, the next in parkas. Seniors got their vaccinations when their age groups were eligible, people wore their masks when they had to go out. We stayed safe in our community, thankful to be far from the big cities who were struggling with the contagion.
May…Our stay-at home order persisted. Daffodils bloomed, lawns turned green, Geese, robins and pelicans returned. For the most part, if you have a yard and have to stay home, May is a good one to be there. Even former non-gardeners have been exercising their staff green thumbs lately. People who live alone were allowed to have one other person in their home. We all cherished our bubble person.
June…Here we are. June 2, 2021. Seniors have begun getting their second dose of the vaccine. Apparently, the stay-at home order has been lifted but we have been told that nothing has changed and that we will know more on June 14. It is time for another extension on the grant. Summer is normally a time of few schedules or commitments. Will people want to be inside the depot learning to use their computers? Would it be better to schedule classes for September?
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