 Christmas and New Year Reflections – As we leave the bustle and excitement of Christmas and 2025 behind, I’m excitedly looking ahead to all the possibilities a new year brings. This past year seems to have flown by in a whirlwind, and while it was filled with many good things, I’m hoping 2026 brings a slightly slower, steadier pace for all of us.
 By Lisa Blair, Executive Director
Happy December, everyone! This month’s message will be a little shorter than usual since it is only early November as I write this; our print deadline also comes sooner than normal because of Thanksgiving.  The Community Action Council has been delivering weekly donations to us from Costco, supplementing our lunch program. This month’s Director’s Message is going to look a little different than usual. Typically, I share updates about past and upcoming events at the Senior Center. But with Thanksgiving upon us — and following our recent Big Giving Week — I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the many individuals, businesses and organizations that keep us going strong.
 A portion of the mural on the north side of the Social Hall inside the Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center. William Fischer created this mural to represent the Wenatchee Foothills during all four seasons. by Lisa Blair, Executive Director About 20 years ago, the Wenatchee Valley Senior Center was lucky to have the incredible artistic talents of the late William R. Fischer. Back in 2005, William took on the huge job of painting a mural across the entire northeast wall of our social hall. That mural beautifully shows all four seasons in our valley and the surrounding foothills, highlighting the natural beauty and resources we have here. When he created it, William saw something many of us had not yet — he had a clear vision of who we are, where we live, and what we could become together as neighbors, friends, and family. He captured the heart of our community and our foothills in that mural. With that artwork in front of us every day, the inspiration for a new name for our center became clear. After lots of thought, input from the community, and a unanimous vote from our Board of Directors, we are excited to share that we are now officially the Foothills Community Center. Changing our name to better reflect who we are has been a journey. The Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center has actually gone through a few name changes since it was first established. Lately, we have become more aware of the changing needs and faces of the people who walk through our doors every day. As our community continues to grow and evolve, we realized it was time to take a fresh look at everything — including our name. While the center will always be dedicated to serving those 50 years and older, we also want to recognize the broader community that is formed here — a mix of cultures, generations, family, and friends, all with diverse needs and interests. Our new name is about honoring that growth and welcoming everyone who is already a part of what we have built together. Board Chairman Jim Tarbert says, “We will continue all programs and activities for our rapidly expanding NCW membership and increase opportunities for a more diverse population as space and funds become available.” While the Board of Directors and staff are excited to start the rebranding process, there will not be any major changes until after the new year. Fall is a critical time for community fundraising through campaigns like our annual Holiday Gift Fair in November and Give NCW — which we will be participating in this year — and we do not want to run the risk confusing anyone with a name change in the middle of this. Expect incremental changes as we move forward with the rebranding process. Russ Alman, Director of Communications, will keep membership and the public well informed of the changes as they occur. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this process so far — former and current staff, our members, and the public. Your 500+ name submissions played a significant role in inspiring and shaping the ideas that led to our new name. Lisa Blair Executive Director Get a peek into the history behind this incredible mural at the Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center. Willow Burts explains the painting and its artist, Bill Fisher, who spent countless hours detailing every inch of the work that now spans over the wall. We created this video segment for the Vibrant Living show in 2022. We are very pleased to rename our facility in part to honor Mr. Fisher and beautiful gift he left behind for us.
 A number of volunteers braved the smoky, hot weather to staff a booth representing the Senior Center at the Chelan County Fair in September. Greetings, everyone! I hope October is treating you well. I can hardly believe it is officially fall. I know we all tend to grumble about the heat and dry weather during the summer, but I’m just not sure I’m ready for what is coming in the next three months. We will all probably grumble about the cold and snow until spring and summer roll around again. I am working on trying to be joyful in the moment, regardless of what is happening around me. I know it is a goal I will always be striving for and I encourage you to do the same.
 We are thrilled to have finally completed our Walk of Fame! This has been years in the making. This is guaranteed to be one feature of our building that will survive upcoming capital improvement projects! Thank you to everyone who attended our End of Summer BBQ! It was a fantastic success, and everyone had a great time. We welcomed over 120 attendees, and the place was packed! The Rusty Barbed Wire Boys wowed the crowd with their nearly nonstop performance—what a talented group! We’re so lucky to count them among our friends. There were giant outdoor games (played indoors!) like horseshoes, ring toss, and tic-tac-toe, to name a few. Kids as young as one and adults as old as—well, let’s just say there were adults—joined in the fun together. A group of our local Applarians stepped up as grill masters, serving up delicious hamburgers and hot dogs. We also enjoyed Debbie’s famous potato salad and wrapped up the day with ice cream sundaes for dessert. A huge thank you to everyone who volunteered to make this event a success—from board members and employees to our dedicated membership volunteers. What a wonderful way to say goodbye to summer
 The entire parking lot at the Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center has been restriped and all of the handicap space markers and directional arrows have been repainted.. However, the sidewalk at the right of this photo is still under renovation. Please be careful around this area. We have made it to the “dog days” of summer and it feels as if the long, hot days have slowed to a crawl. How is it, then, that I can hardly keep up? I seem to get busier every week, working hard to make the Senior Center a place everyone loves to come to whether it is for our terrific lunches created by Debbie and her volunteer crew, or Frankie and her line dancing group or David and his creative card-making group. It seems we have something to offer nearly everyone. We are continuing our diligent work on raising funds to make our new building a reality for all of the other activities and events we are currently unable to accommodate.
by Lisa Blair, WVSAC Executive Director  The 2025 Annual Meeting was held on June 18.
 The Wenatchee Master Gardeners have been working on the beds around the building... Remember those overgrown shrubs? They've now been replaced with much more attractive groundcover and flowers. As we roll head-on into summer, I start looking forward to all of the joy there is to be had outside. Our landscaping is looking alive and inviting and ideas for exterior improvements have begun to take shape. It is my goal to begin and complete updates that are moderately affordable yet still have a visual impact or strong curb appeal. The Laura Mounter Real Estate group put together a team of workers to help clean and spruce up our landscaping in mid-May. The results are fantastic and coupled with the work of our Master Gardeners and the never-ending energy of Dave and Preston (our Thrift Shop employee), the planting spaces have become extremely attractive. It is tough to keep a property of this size always looking tip-top, but that continues to be the goal. Fresh parking space striping is in the works and the signs outside will be getting a little update as well. If you have any visual improvement ideas for the exterior of the building, please visit my office and share your suggestions. I would love to hear them.
 A few players and the coach of the Wenatchee Bighorns visited our line dancing class in early March. They had so much fun that they came back with their whole team. View a Reel on Facebook of their visit. Things are humming in the valley right now and the Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center is no exception. Our membership continues to rise and everyone is busy exercising, having lunch or simply enjoying hanging out in the Social Hall to visit with friends and fellow members.
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Foothills Community Center
1312 Maple Street, Wenatchee, WA 98801 (509) 662-7036 (Office) (509) 888-9602 (Thrift Shop) Get Social!
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