Submitted by the Orcas Island Senior Center.

15-Minute Weekly Qigong Workshop

Quiet the mind and strengthen the body with Joan Roulac’s Ease Please Qigong series. These quick 15-minute sessions will gently loosen tense muscles, strengthen immunity, build better balance, and increase energy. This sweet practice is like visiting your chiropractor for a vibrational tune-up. Both the Wednesday and Thursday Ease Please series fees are $40. The December series begins Wednesday, December 1 at 9 a.m. and Thursday, December 2 at 12:30 p.m. and weekly thereafter by Zoom.

Joan has been teaching Qigong and T’ai Chi Chih since being accredited by Justin Stone in 1987 and has taught thousands of students in California, Oregon, and Washington.

For inquiries and registration, please contact Joan Roulac directly at 360-298-2789 or joan@MountaintopMusings.com.

Orcas Senior Center says goodbye to Lynnette Wood

Orcas Senior Center bids a grateful adieu to Lynnette Woods, who has served tirelessly on the Orcas District Committee (ODC) for three years and acted as chair since 2019. The ODC is the governing body of the OSC, and operates under the Senior Services Council of San Juan County (Council). Lynnette’s term on the ODC has come to an end, and she is leaving an amazing legacy, having renewed and strengthened the organization on many levels. During the pandemic shutdown, she maintained OSC services and facilitated the development of the Buddy Check-in Program in response to COVID-19 isolation. The “Meeting of Minds” lecture series was begun by Lynnette and includes topics of interest on the San Juan Islands, from frogs to fish to air quality monitoring. Her strong leadership is revealed in so many examples: she helped to recruit an even stronger ODC membership, gave guidance in hiring additional staff, worked to implement improved functional systems and operating rules, and strengthened working relationships with San Juan County staff. Being an applied mathematician, Lynnette provided statistical support for the 2017 OSC Senior Needs Assessment, which is in part why the new Home Maintenance and Repair pilot program has been developed. She also balanced the budget of the OSC and updated bookkeeping practices and software, both of which will allow the OSC to continue operating smoothly to serve the seniors and adults with disabilities in our community.

Lynnette’s accomplishments do not end there, but we know that she would instead want to acknowledge all of the amazing staff, volunteers, and partners with whom she has worked to make all of these positive changes possible. OSC is looking forward to their new chair, Tom Eversole, taking up the reins, and they are so happy that the Vice-Chair, Elsie Pamuk, will be continuing in her position. Thank you, Lynnette, and we look forward to still seeing you around the OSC … just not in meetings!

Support home maintenance for GiveOrcas

GiveOrcas is here and Orcas Senior Center is seeking donations for the new Home Maintenance and Repair (HM&R) pilot program. One of the main barriers to aging well on Orcas is the decreased ability of seniors and adults with disabilities to maintain a safe home. The project stems from a critical need that was discovered as part of the HM&R Feasibility Study funded by a grant from the Orcas Island Community Foundation. It illuminated the fact that many seniors and adults with disabilities are unable to keep up with home repairs and ranked this even higher than health concerns. Today, the problem is compounded by the fact that many contractors in the San Juan Islands are currently too busy to take on small projects.

The one-year HM&R pilot program will connect seniors and adults with disabilities with contractors to perform maintenance and repair work, allowing them to age safely in their homes.

Would you help OSC launch HM&R pilot program so that seniors and adults with disabilities can age well in their homes? Please consider donating Dec. 1-15 at giveorcas.org. To read more, go to orcasseniors.org.