Letters from the Director

Dear Friends,

What a great year it has been, having past friends and new faces return to the senior center for classes and services.  We currently have 732 members and offer some 61 programs/services, most weekly.  To hear voices and laughter in the hallways has lifted the spirits of the staff, who were frankly, quite exhausted from our COVID efforts and longing to return to our normal daily routines.

Thank you for supporting us through memberships, class fees, attendance at special activities such as Rainbow Bingo and your individual donations.  We are coming up on Tuesday, November 29^th, the

GIVE BIG TUESDAY which will be celebrated across the county.

We are asking for one more big push this November, as we ask for your donations to cover the yearly costs of operations of the senior center.  The staff and Board are taxed with raising $610,000 each year to cover our Operating Budget Expenses, and in a year where we found all our costs increased, it has been challenging as we had not planned on the new higher amounts.  As we closed the month of October, we had a deficit of $115,937.  We have through December 31^st to cover these costs.

We ask for your financial support through the

GIVING TUESDAY CAMPAIGN which begins November 29^th, 2022!

Your dollars really matter and will help support our work through the end of December, providing hot meals, amazing fitness classes, and quality personal medical services such as Foot Care, Social Work Counseling and Bastyr Naturopathic Medical services.  Giving Tuesday is a time to give back to your community.  Your dollars help us provide for not only your needs, but those of your neighbors as well.

We know that Food Security remains a major concern for many seniors, and through our Food Security Programs have been able to assist them.  Providing free Social Work counseling and Veteran Benefits Advising has truly been successful with many seniors benefitting from these services.  It is impossible to not only continue offering them but expand our reach to more veterans and seniors.

Please help us meet our costs and expand our services.  In January 2023, we will be adding classes such as Yoga for the Cognitively Impaired, individual Acupuncture services, and new fitness classes.  The need is there, and we have the professional staff available to move forward.  We just need your financial support.

Thank you for your kindness during our healing process following the loss of Donna Saltzberg and thank you for helping us keep such a vibrant, fun senior center operating 5 days per week.  We wish each and every one of you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Theresa

Support the Senior Center you love.  Join Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Senior Activity Center  today in celebrating Giving Tuesday and the national tradition of generosity.  Giving Tuesday, November 29, 2022, is a day dedicated to charitable giving.  We know there are so many charities deserving your support at this time of year.  As you consider your year-end giving, we hope you will remember the impact the Senior Center has had on your life or that of your family members and friends, and consider making a donation in honor of Giving Tuesday to Shoreline-LFP Senior Activity Center.  Whether large or small, your donation makes a difference in the life of a senior.  In December, each donor will receive a letter to indicate his or her Tax Deduction and our EIN.

Thank you for your support of our programming.  To make a donation, please use the envelope enclosed (in the mailed newsletter) which can be mailed to us or dropped off at our Front Desk.  Or you can visit our website at www.shorelinelfpseniorcenter.org and use the DONATE link.  Our goal is to continue to expand our classes and workshops monthly; with your help we will achieve our goals.

Take care, stay safe and I’ll see you at the center!

Theresa

Director’s Message

October plans to be a super month at the senior center, with multiple events going on along with new classes and workshops. We hope you will take advantage of them, staying active as we move into the next season.
For those who enjoy reading, you can find wonderful articles regarding Healthy Aging on the following websites: the National Institute on Aging, the National Council on Aging, and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. Continue to engage your mind, your body, and your spirit to better manage the aging process.
You may notice that classrooms not in use have locked doors and lights off. As our weather changes and less sunlight is upon us, this will be very noticeable. Our reason is that our landlord is facing remarkably high utilities during this school year and have increased all renters’ utility charges for the first time in our tenure at this location. This added charge ranged into the thousands of dollars but after meeting with school representatives, they graciously eliminated this recent charge for one academic year. We do have a rent increase of an additional $400/month and all vendors have raised their prices 15-30%, depending on the service provided. Our best practice is to review all competitive prices/packages and choose the vendor that best serves our needs. We are facing financial challenges in post COVID times.
We frequently hear from our membership, that they believe the senior center is financed 100% by either Sound Generations or the City of Shoreline. Neither is accurate! We are an independent non-profit, with staff raising over $600,000/year, through various means. We are deeply grateful to our cities for the financial assistance they provide each year, accounting for 1/6 of our total costs. As for Sound Generations, we partner with them to provide us a financial credit line throughout the year (we pay off in December), and we contract with them for back-office services, such as IT, Human Resources, and grant tracking. They bill us for these services as any business would.
The Annual Community Breakfast is a terrific way to show your support to the center. All members are invited and encouraged to bring business owners in the community, as we believe the program will provide great insights into the latest marketing strategies for 2023. If you are unable to attend, you may donate on our webpage at www.shorelinelfpseniorcenter.org or use the envelope inserted in this newsletter. Thank you for your support for the work that we do, the programs and the services provided. Help us to continue bringing quality programs, outstanding instructors, and informative events to our community.
Holiday Bazaar! Holiday Bazaar! It’s almost here and this year, 50% of our vendors are new, bringing unique handcrafts to delight all. Mark your calendars for October 21st and 22nd to begin your seasonal shopping spree. Our Silent Auction is gearing up to be even more spectacular than last year!
For anyone wishing to join the senior center at this time, our membership fee will be $17 through to December. This is a super deal as it provides discounts on classes and services.
We have volunteer opportunities on our Events Committee as well as other areas of the center. Please let us know if you are interested in learning more.

Take care and I’ll see you at the center!

Theresa

Letter from the Director: September 2022

Director’s Message September, 2022 –

SAVE THE DATE – OCTOBER 13TH, 2022. Each year, we host a fund-raising Community Breakfast to raise funds to support the Senior Center. This is the biggest fund raiser of the year and in the past, we have invited local politicians, business owners and civic group leaders from the cities of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park. This year, we will be holding the event at Shoreline Community College and opening invitations to our membership.
There are two means in which we raise funds at this event: one being the cost of the admission ticket, which will be $50/person and the second will be through donations either at your table or online on our website. The event consists of a delicious breakfast and this year’s program will be an outstanding presentation on marketing and branding, by Roger Starkweather, founder of NewReach A Digital Design Agency!
Roger and his team of marketing/branding agents have provided marketing services to major corporations such as Columbia Tower, WA Federal Bank, Nordstrom, Pacific Place, and the Hershey Company, to name a few. You may wonder why we have invited this team to present at our event; we have several reasons that not only affect the Senior Center but all businesses:

 The need to attract individuals and businesses, to engage in-person, in business transactions and not only shop or receive services online post COVID
 This is a time of re-imagining one’s presence in the marketplace as we fully re-open, creating enticing images that attract not only past customers/participants but bring/draw new attendees or businesses
 The steep rise in vendor costs in 2022-2023, is straining every small business/non-profit, requiring us to increase the number of participants/shoppers, a new DRAW is required not only in the programs/services we offer but in attracting a broader sector of the population

We encourage you to attend this event. You do not have to own a business to attend as your ticket purchase will be a support of the Senior Center. Should you have family or friends that own businesses in WA State, please share our upcoming flyers and information to them. Support of the Senior Center is not restricted to the cities of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park but support of senior programming through the aging process is the responsibil-ity of everyone, regardless of where they live.

Stay tuned for additional information on our website and throughout the Senior Center. Tickets for the event will be available at our front desk and online through Eventbrite.

SAVE THE DATE – OCTOBER 21st and 22nd, it’s our ANNUAL HOLIDAY BAZAAR!
This year, we have increased the number of vendors, with 15 new vendors joining us.
Mark your calendars for a day of shopping, food, and entertainment. You won’t want to miss out.

Thank you for your continued support and I’ll see you at Senior Center!

Theresa