Celebrating seniors at Veiner Centre
Everyone is invited to a Nov. 21 shindig to honour volunteers
It’s a celebration of the significant contribution of seniors who volunteer in the community and you are invited, Nov. 21, to the Veiner Centre at 3 p.m.
“We’re calling it a little party, a little celebration,” said La Verne Noble, chair of the Senior Citizens Advisory Committee.
You don’t have to be a member of the Veiner Centre to attend the celebration, everyone is invited, said Noble.
To gain an understanding of the extent of volunteerism it is worth considering that at the time of the 2013 flood there were 40 clubs that operated out of the Veiner Centre.
“That number is astonishing,” said Noble. “There is no way you could find any kind of number like that in any other community.”
Those groups do not just appear. At some point it took somebody with vision and passion to be a leader. It took somebody willing to put in the hard work to make it happen, said Noble.
“That’s what we are trying to highlight.”
It was impossible to honour everyone who is worthy of accolades, so in the end, seven people were selected for oncamera interviews. Those interviews will be screened at the party with a condensed version of all the interviews being part of the actual program. They will be shown on new TVs in the Veiner Centre.
SCAC applied for a New Horizons For Seniors grant and was successful in receiving nearly $19,000, said Noble.
The money was used to purchase televisions so various clubs have the option of watching tutorials and/or special programming. An example would be a special presentation on watercolour painting for the art group, she explained.
“There are all kinds of things we can do with that. It’s just a matter of imagination,” said Noble.
Desserts with coffee and tea will be served to add to the party atmosphere.
Another private donation, by TD Bank employees, will also be acknowledged. This donation made it possible to purchase an electric piano for the Veiner Centre. An electric piano is easier to move around and it will be played at the event with the Veiner Centre singers performing, said Noble.