The upside to leaving home just before 7 a.m. every morning is getting to watch the sunrise. Glorious is the word that springs to mind. Some days the sprays of gold, rose and dusky blue splashed across the sky are so breathtaking, I have to stop the car and pull out my camera.
No matter how trying, disappointing or frustrating the circumstances, there’s a positive side to almost any situation. For the second year in a row, our senior center has experienced a major cut in funding. But in spite of financial stress, I am encouraged by the positive attitude of our participants. They are joining together to meet the challenge. There’s an atmosphere of proactive cooperation that inspires me with hope and confidence.
This attitude is most recently evident in the hard work our people are putting in toward the upcoming Gigantic Garage Sale fundraiser. Nellie Garcia is here practically from dawn to dusk, sorting and pricing donated items. Dora and Victor Calderon have made countless trips back and forth from the center to the storage unit that Armor Storage is loaning us for a few weeks and Emilio Luna and Glenn Summers have answered calls to pick up donations.
The Gigantic Garage Sale is coming up first thing in March. We’ll be set up at the Mineral Wells Activity Center, across from the city gym in old Ft. Wolters. The early-bird sale will open at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 7, with a $10 donation for admission. On Friday and Saturday, March 8-9, the sale begins at 9 a.m. and is open to the public. We will accept garage sale donations up through Wednesday afternoon, March 6. We’re hoping that this year’s sale will go far toward offsetting the funding cuts.
Another source of encouragement for me is the continuing support of our community. We are grateful for the monthly gifts and volunteer help we receive from businesses like Waddy’s Best Value Pharmacy, Cole’s House of Flowers, Abbi Home Care, Palo Pinto Nursing and Rehab and Home Health, Brenda Lee from the Mineral Wells Department of Parks and Recreation, IntegraCare, Mineral Wells Medical Supply, Bargains for Better Homes, Beall’s, My Father’s Business, Awesome Blossoms, Palo Pinto Hospital Gift Shop and Mr. Jim’s Pizza.
In the past couple of weeks we received a generous party door prize from Brazos Animal Hospital, and large donations of juice and produce brought by Raymond Hill. I missed getting the name of the high school mom who brought in the huge donkey basketball cake, but we sure appreciated it. We are grateful for all those contributions.
I’d also like to thank the guests who volunteered their time to judge our Valentine’s Day Chocolate Contest. Chamber of Commerce Director Beth Henary Watson, Libby Cluett of the Mineral Wells Index and senior center board members Ken Johnson and Michael Franklin tasted their way through 28 entries to name winners in four categories.
Clydell Singleton’s Heavenly Sinful Cookies earned her the contest championship. Rita Alvarado took first place in the cake category, Carolyn Seltzer won first in pies, Rosette Sutton placed first in cookies and David Draper was first in the candy category. We congratulate our winners and thank everyone who entered the contest.
Through ups and downs, the Senior Center will continue to provide a caring place for senior adults to find food, friendship and fun. We are here to serve you. Come visit us.
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