Page 45 - January Banner 2018_Neat

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Seni R by John Dowling
Hello, and the best of a New
Year to you all! As we are gearing
down from the busyness of the
Holidays, why not try to extend the
good feelings of the season into the
new year.
We, at the Thurmont Senior
Center, want to wish everyone a
safe, healthy, and prosperous New
Year, with an invitation for seniors
of the area (ages fifty-five and up) to
stop by the Center, for a chance to
see for yourself just how neat of a
place we have here. While here, pick
up an activity sheet for the month
of January, with the lunch menu on
the back. Make sure to say hello to
our coordinator, Teresa. Introduce
yourself, and she will welcome you
and answer any questions you might
have.
The start of the new year will see
three new members to be welcomed
to our board of directors at our first
meeting on January 10, 2018: Susan
Favorite, Dale Kline, and Jody Eyler.
A big thank you to these new board
members.
As we look back on the past
year, we are proud of the fifth
nominee to the “Maryland Senior
Citizens Hall of Fame” to come
from the Thurmont Senior Center.
This time, the honor went to Patt
Troxell at a luncheon in Glen
Burnie, Maryland, on October 26,
2017. Congratulations, Patt, and
thank you for all of your many
years of volunteering on the board
of directors, leading the Canaries
singing group, and many other
duties that you have volunteered
for over the years -- not to mention
your many years of being the
coordinator at Thurmont Senior
Center until your retirement. Your
dedication and love for the Center is
appreciated by all.
On November 29, 2017, we held
a special Benefit Bingo, which the
Board of Directors voted to donate
to the Thurmont Civitan Club for
their project of the special needs
playground behind the Thurmont
Senior Center building. We
appreciated the great turnout.
The Thurmont Senior Center
held its yearly Christmas Party on
Saturday, December 2, 2017, at the
Graceham Moravian Church. The
members of the church prepared a
fantastic turkey and oyster lunch,
with all the trimmings, for a
large crowd of hungry and happy
seniors. Music and entertainment
was provided by John and Peggy
Offutt, topping it off with a
hilarious version of “Twelve Days
www.TheCatoctinBanner.com
Photo by Teresa Kempisty
(pictured from left) Sue
Oehmig (Doris Roman’s
daughter), Carol Long,
and Sandy Duley.
of Christmas,” acted out by
various seniors. Carol Long and
Pam Robbins also gave their own
funny version of the “Twelve
Days of Christmas,” with Carol
singing and Pam holding up the
items as Carol sang about them.
You’ve never seen a person move
so fast—way to go, Pam!
Thank you to Carol Long
for organizing the Christmas Party,
and for putting together the door-
prize baskets and finishing the quilt
that was the grand prize for the
Christmas Raffle drawn that day.
Thank you to the many businesses
that donated door prizes. A great
time was had by all!
Honored guests, Bill Buehrer and
Marty Burns, two of Thurmont’s
town commissioners, attended
the Christmas party. One of the
highlights of the day was when
Marty Burns stood up and praised
the seniors and the Center for their
contributions to the town’s senior
citizens. He then presented a check
for $20,000 to George Anzelone,
president of the board of directors,
who accepted it for the Center. A
BIG THANK YOU to the mayor, the
commissioners, and all who made
this possible.
The Annual Christmas Raffle
for the handmade quilt and money
was very special, indeed, this year.
The quilt was designed by our most
special long-time member of the
board of directors—the late and
loving Doris Roman. When Doris’s
health started to decline, she turned
the quilt pieces over to Carol Long
to finish the quilt. Doris was able
to see the finished quilt top, but
passed away before the quilt was
completed. At the Christmas Party,
The Catoctin Banner Newspaper
(from left) Nancy
Rice, Frank Valentine,
and Marilyn Worsham
celebrated their
December birthdays at the
Thurmont Senior Center
monthly Birthday Party.
Courtesy Photo complete them. On January 24, at
Doris’s daughter, Sue Oehmig, and
family, all present at the party,
bought many tickets in hopes of
winning the quilt to keep it in the
family. However, Sandy Duley, who
had only bought six tickets, was
the lucky winner. Sandy, who had
a quilt that her mother had made,
knew how badly Doris’s daughter
wanted the quilt that her Mom had
designed. So, Sandy did a real act
of “Christmas giving,” and gave the
quilt to Sue and her family, with the
stipulation that Sue pay Sandy the
six dollars that she had spent on her
tickets, which Sue gratefully did!
Wow, what a real Christmas story!
Thank you, Sandy!
Another great thing for the
Thurmont Senior Center was
through the efforts of our vice
president of the board of directors,
Roy Clever, who applied and
received a Community Partnership
Grant from the Frederick County
Government, which helped, along
with other donations, to buy a new
commercial upright freezer, an ice
maker, and a dishwasher. Thanks so
much, Roy, and the many generous
donators.
On December 10, 2017, the
seniors were treated to a wonderful
dance performance by the dancers
from ESP Dance Productions, right
January 2018 Page 45
here in our town. They wanted
to perform just for the seniors,
and we were delighted with their
dancing and tapping, as well as the
delicious refreshments provided by
the parents. It made us feel young
again! We look forward to the next
performance in the spring! Thank
you to all who made this possible
and especially the dancers!
Just a reminder that the Center
will be closed on January 1.
Something new this month that
Teresa will be starting on the third
Tuesday of each month is Pauline’s
Pals at 1:00 p.m. This activity is in
memory of Pauline Duble, who for
years and years made and donated
all the favors for the Christmas
party (one hundred eleven favors
this year); sadly, she passed away in
2017. So, anyone who would like to
meet and work on the favors every
month at this time, please come to
the Center. At the first meeting,
we will be deciding on what favor
to make, so bring your ideas—all
you crafty seniors out there. It’s
best to keep it simple since we have
so many to make; but, if we start
now, we will have plenty of time to
noon, there will be a pot luck and
general meeting. Please sign up at
the Center and bring a dish to share,
or you can pay $6.00. The Center
will be supplying fried chicken. Also,
in the evening on January 24, from
6:00-9:00 p.m., there is a 500 Card
Game ( $2.00 to play). Call 301-
271-7911 for more information.
We will be having a special
benefit Bingo on January 31
(January 3 and 17 are our regular
Bingos), with half the proceeds
being donated to the Thurmont
Ambulance Company. So, please
everyone, come out and have a great
time of fun while supporting a great
cause. Elly (Jenkins) Williams will
be back on schedule, coming the
last Friday of the month on January
26, so make your free half-hour
appointment to discuss all senior
programs. Nurse Steve will be
coming on Tuesday, January 30, at
10:30 a.m., to meet individually,
taking vitals and discussing medical
concerns. Lunch is at noon, then a
talk at 12:30 p.m. on “Vaccinations
and Immunizations.”
You can see all of the Thurmont
Senior Center’s activities listed in the
Community Calendar on the back
pages. Don’t forget to pass on a few
smiles to people every day; they are
painless to do, but they just might
ease another’s pain!