We had our excellent Halloween party that the whole of the Olympia Center was invited to. Thanks to Sharon (RSVP) for dressing as the “evil volunteer” decorated in all red with black lipstick and nail polish! Blake (VCW Team Supervisor) got down with his gangsta’ self in the pin striped suite and fedora. Overall, the team pulled off a great potluck party and we have plenty of food left over to keep us on a sugar high until Christmas.

Jumping ahead a bit, I am starting to think about interesting MLK day projects on Jan. 17^th. I want to meet a need in the community. I think the challenge will be engaging people after Christmas, which is when most people are spent on their money and time. I think we can really pull together as a team and find something useful and engaging that will make a difference in our communities.

Thanks for all of you who participated in the conference call. It sounds like people are looking forward to IST, and I think you will get a lot out of it! I look forward to talking will all of you soon.

Alena Swanson

VCW VISTA Leader

Olympia

Planning for another year

I consider myself fortunate to be working for my community here in Port Townsend as a Vista volunteer. The past 10 months have been filled with a wealth of experience and great opportunities to engage seniors in the community around issues of Senior Falls Prevention, an issue of vital importance to them.

During the process of organizing training sessions for exercise instructors in the SAIL program (a statistically, evidence based exercise program to promote strength and balance for seniors) I discovered an incredibly vital network of public health care professionals and senior programs out here on the Olympic Peninsula. The training sessions, conducted by the excellent Sally York of the Northwest Orthopedic Institute, exposed me to a substantial portion of the orthopedic specialists working with seniors in Clallam and Jefferson Counties. The ongoing work of this network allows me continued opportunities to interact with seniors and the professionals who serve them on the Olympic Peninsula in the effort of limiting the number of falls by seniors here on the Olympic Peninsula.

The promise of good work opportunities that I imagined at the PSO in Los Angeles last December has come true and the past year has been filled with great surprises, meeting people in the community I did not previously know, a process that has enriched my experience as a member of the community. I look forward to continued rewards in meeting the challenge of service.

Bill Dwyer