Senior Center Holds 'Booty for the Build' Fundraiser

2/23/2024

by Russ Alman, WVSAC Communications Director

Dave Tosch dressed as a pirate, eating a crab leg

Dave Tosch, WVSAC Executive Director, went full out for the event, dressing up as a pirate, complete with loop earrings and hand hook.

Avast ye, skallywags!

The Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center (WVSAC) held a "Booty for the Build" Crab Feed and fundraiser on February 10 as a kickoff event for our capital improvement project campaign. Over 150 people attended the pirate and tropical-themed dinner and enjoyed fresh, all-you-can-eat Dungeness crab, imbibements from Dave's Dive Bar, live music, as well as silent and live auctions.

Many guests (and staff and volunteers!) dressed as pirates or in tropical outfits to add to the festive atmosphere. Music was provided by Lance Tigner and the Easy Street Men's Choir, highlighted by a performance by the 'Mamas and the Papas' - two members of the all-male ensemble donned aprons to portray the Mamas.

We'd like to thank our table sponsors, including Springwater Insurance (Admiral's Table), Health Alliance Northwest (Captain's Table), D.A. Davidson (Captain's Table), Prestige Senior Living (Commander's Table) and the WVSAC Writer's Club (Commander's Table). Also, a huge thank you to Boswell's Furnture for supplying the trasportation to pick up the truckload of crab from our vendor in Cle Elem. We also appreciate the many items donated to our silent auction by local businesses and organizations. And to our crew of volunteers who organized and staffed the event: we couldn't have done this without you!

After expenses, the crab feed raised over $30,000 for the senior center's building fund. This is a strong start toward the goal of $400,000 in local fundraising needed as matching funds toward private, state and federal grants we are pursuing. In all, the cost of expanding the building and renovating and upgrading the existing space is estimated to cost $4 million.

The capital improvement project will address a number of issues. As a private, nonprofit organization, WVSAC is almost entirely self-funded, operating on a combination of grants, endowments, private donations and membership dues. However, the lion's share of our operating budget comes from the proceeds of the Second Chance Thrift Shop, currently located in the rear of the building.

Due to our increasing costs and successful operations, the thrift shop has grown from its original space to encompass nearly 50 percent of the current building. As a result, of our 9 activity rooms, only three are now available for senior activities.

At the same time, the senior center's membership continues to grow at a steady clip. Our membership already exceeds 2,000, and on average, we are gaining 40-50 members per month. As of this writing, we have added 60 new members in the first three weeks of February alone!

We have determined that the best solution is to expand our building, adding a 6,500 sq. ft. space to the rear of the building. The thrift shop will move into that space, freeing up the rest of the building for actvities.

Once the addition is completed, we'll then renovate the existing structure, restoring the rooms that are currently used by the thrift shop and updating infrastructure to support the modern needs of the senior center.

Our goal is to secure all of the funding we need for this project by the spring of 2025 and then have the expansion project completed by the end of the year. The crab feed fundraiser gave us a strong start towards this goal, but we have a lot of fundraising work ahead of us.

If you'd like to contribute directly to our capital improvement project, you can do in person at the senior center or online at this link.

We've included photos of the crab feed below, as well as a clip from the Easy Street Men's Choir's rendition of California Dreamin'. Enjoy!

Thank you again to our table sponsors!