Hawaii visits the senior center
Photo by Mandi Bateman In Hawaii, they practice the "catch and release" method of fishing.
Photo by Mandi Bateman The undisputedhula hoop master of the event.
Photo by Mandi Bateman Larry Hare gets his hula on at the Hawaiian Luncheon.
Photo by Mandi Bateman Everyone loved the Hawaiian Princess.
Photo by Mandi Bateman Hula Hoops flew during the the Hawaiian vacation.
Photo by Mandi Bateman Fun and laughter were the theme of the day.
BONNERS FERRY — For many seniors, the ability to go on vacation to anywhere exotic is just not possible for a variety of reasons. That was the inspiration for Nancy Martinez to create the themed luncheons at Seniors Hospitality Center of Boundary County.
Martinez is on the activity board, and bursts with infectious enthusiasm. “We try to do something once a month. Last month we went to Mexico. It’s fun,” she explained, so on Friday, July 28, Hawaii came to the Seniors Hospitality Center. Every participant was greeted with a lei placed around their neck, and the brave- or the ambushed- donned grass skirts.
“I think it’s great,” said former Senior Companion Coordinator, Larry Hare, sporting a grass skirt. “They come here to enjoy themselves, relax, get away from the hoopla and the politics of life. They laugh. So they laugh at my skirt. It’s good.”
There was Hawaiian themed music, which had many up and dancing. Hula hoops came out and those young at heart had no problem stepping out onto the floor, giving them a spin around waist or arms.
While the festivities ramped up, Spence Springman and Becky Wortley prepared a Hawaiian themed lunch. “We’ve got good cooks,” said Seniors Hospitality Center Administrator Barbara Kovacs.
“A lot of people don’t know the concept of the senior center,” said Hare. “It’s not a place where old people come and moan and groan. It’s where we come and have a good time, relax, and escape.”
The Seniors Hospitality Center is a non-profit organization established April 25, 1974. Their purpose is to provide service programs for older residents of Boundary County. They support seniors’ independence and help to maintain or improve the health status of those individuals. They accomplish this through several programs, including Congregate Nutrition Services Program, home delivered meals, recreational activities, housing and more.
During the Hawaiian luncheon, several people rummaged through a large table, covered in clothes. All the items there were donated and were given away free to those who wanted or needed them. The Center accepts donations during normal business hours.
The ambiance in the large, open room, was one of fun and camaraderie, adventure and freedom of self.
Martinez told a recent story of an elderly lady that she had hugged. The lady told her that she hadn’t been hugged in so long and thanked Martinez. “And I thought,” said Martinez, “my word, that is sad. It’s just a hug, you know, that we take for granted all the time.”
There was no shortage of hugs at the Hawaiian luncheon. There was no shortage of smiles, laughter, dancing, or good natured ribbing, either.
“That’s just what we are trying to do,” said Martinez, “just make it happy for them.”