You
may have heard that the Center’s UpLifting Elevator Project was awarded $50,000
by City of The Dalles and Wasco County as one of the Google Immediate Impact
Projects. And now you may be asking what does that mean for the Elevator
Project? It is definitely good news. And with the hundreds of donations from
all of you plus the foundation and local grants, the Center has secured almost
$360,000 for the project. Sadly, the $360,000 would have been enough four years
ago, but with increasing costs, the Center is still short of funds. (It confirms
a basic truism: the more time it takes, the more the project will cost.)
To
bridge the funding gap, the Center has applied to the Meyer Memorial Trust
(MMT), the largest foundation in Oregon, for the remaining funds to complete
the project. We expected to hear in mid-July if the Center made the first cut, but
because of the enormous number of applications MMT has received, they need
additional time to review all of the requests. In the meantime, we are still
accepting donations knowing there will always be unexpected costs.
Since
we are very close to acquiring the necessary funding, the Center has decided to
initiate the planning process to install the elevator. The first step is to
meet with construction firms to review the current design to see if there are
any practical ways to reduce the total cost of the project. From those
conversations, a final design will be decided with opportunities for Center
members and the community to comment, before the final design is ultimately approved
by the MCSC board. With approval of the final design, the building permits can
be acquired so the Center will be ready to start construction once all the
funding is secured.
It is
exciting to know that with your help, and the local support of The City of The
Dalles, Wasco County, Northern Wasco County PUD, MCMC and Northwest Farm Credit
Services, we are close enough to start transitioning from a dream to reality. And
soon those who have difficulty walking, will no longer need to take the exterior
stairs to the Center’s activities downstairs.
Do you ever feel that different parts of your body are competing
for your attention? I mean if I make an appointment with my cardiologist, my ears
start bothering me so I have to see my ENT doctor. Of course my skin doesn’t
want to be ignored, so I make my annual appointment with my dermatologist; and
my eyes demand their annual check-up. And I won’t mention how jealous my knees
and lungs can get. It’s to the point where every month I have an appointment to
see a specialist for some part of my body. Can’t they just get along! Sorry
about the distraction. I just had to vent.
The
Center’s annual rummage sale is this Saturday, June 25th from 8:00 –
2:00 PM in the basement. This year we have a particularly good selection of
items including home furnishings, furniture, kitchen items, knick-knacks as
well as clothes.
Every
Tuesday night at the Center there is live music for your dancing and listening
enjoyment, and during the summer months you don’t have to worry about driving
home in the dark. Next Tuesday on the 28th, Andre and Friends will
be performing. Doors open at 6:00, music starts at 7:00, and donations are
always appreciated.
The
answer to last week’s question was Tab Hunter: one of the top romantic leads in
the late fifties who costarred in the 1955's World War II drama “Battle Cry”.
This
week’s “Remember When” question is about a movie released in 1968 that became a
landmark, science fiction classic - about exploration of the unknown. What was
the name of this masterpiece that many considered (including myself when I
first saw it) bewildering, boring, and slow-moving, and contained more
spectacular imagery and special effects than verbal dialogue? And for bonus
points what was the name of the computer that was the brains of the space
journey to Jupiter? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a
message at 541-296-4788 or mail it to the Center with a recording of Richard
Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra.
Well,
it’s been another week enjoying the cool mornings in June. Until we meet again,
a smile is the best way to say hello.
“There
are exactly as many special occasions in life as we choose to celebrate.”
Robert Brault