The Buzz - WVSAC – Details, episodes & analysis

Russ Alman interviews Mary Fran McClure, volunteer coordinator of the Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center's Sunday Dances. The dances are held from 2 - 4 p.m., feature local live bands, and are open to the public for people of all ages.

The first of our series of interviews with WVSAC board members. Marco Martinez is now in his second year serving on our board of directors in one of the at large positions.

Mandy Ketcham, CDP is a dementia support specialist for Highgate Senior Living. According to Mandy, over 80% of the population is directly affected by someone with dementia, yet the condition is widely misunderstood.

Mandy is hosting a workshop at the Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center on Friday, September 26, 2025. The seminar will provide hands-on learning, practical insights and valuable take-away opportunities to help participants better understand and help those living with the condition.

The event is open to the public but registration is required. Please contact Amanda Molvin at wenatchee.crc@highgateseniorliving.com or visit https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C054EA9A92EA4FCC34-58353402-training

This interview was conducted on August 8, 2025, prior to the announcement of our Renaming Contest that ran from August 15-31 and before we officially started The Buzz. However, we still wanted to share this with you as part of our series of interviews to meet our board members.

Jim Tarbert was elected chairman of the board earlier this summer has also acted as the head of our building expansion committee. He is one of the key reasons we have made significant progress towards creating plans and raising funds for our building expansion and renovation.

Stevie Knemeyer, Director of Sales at Colonial Vista Senior Living, gives a tour of their penthouse suite. The 10,000 sq. ft. living quarters was the home of the founders, Carl and Betty Campbell. The Campbells were pioneers in developing the modern concept of retirement living communities and brought this concept nationwide.

The staff at Colonial Vista have kept the penthouse intact with it's original colors and patterns... it's like taking a trip back into the 1970s!

Since this podcast is a video tour, we highly suggest that you view it with the video, either on Spotify at wvsac.link/buzz-penthouse or on YouTube at wvsac.link/buzz-yt-penthouse.

The Coloring Group is one of the newest activities that has started at our community center. It's one of our most diverse groups with people of all ages and abilities coming together to work on their art skills and socialize.

Carol Prag started the group about a year and a half ago, and since then it continues to grow. Carol is from Leavenworth and is a retired business owner. She became involved in art activities over the years as a way to relax.

The group meets on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. and is free for our members. They currently meet in the Coffee Bar area of our Social Hall.

Mary Jinneman was one of the founding members of the ping pong group at the Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center. At age 99, she still has a pretty mean serve! She enjoys playing ping pong to keep active and socialize.

Unfortunately, during the COVID-19 pandemic and closure, our thrift shop needed extra space and took over the Golden Apple Room where the ping pong tables were stored. We won't have room to host the group again until we are able to raise the funds to expand our building.

The group moved to the Eastmont Community Center building on Georgia Street in East Wenatchee and meets every Friday morning from 9 - 11 a.m. We look forward to the day when we can invite them back to play here on Maple Street.(

Apologies for the poor quality of the audio in this episode. I wanted to record with the ping pong group playing in the background and didn't anticipate just how loud they would be! I did my best in post-processing to remove some of the noise, but wasn't entirely successful. - Russ Alman)

Bella Martinez has been a volunteer in our Senior Nutrition program for four years. She originally came to us through the Transitions program in the Wenatchee School District, but she enjoyed volunteering for us so much that she came back to help us on her own time.

For more information on the Wenatchee Valley Community Transitions Program, visit wenatcheeschools.org/transitions/

Dr. Steve Kaster has been a member of our board of directors for over 12 years and is also an active volunteer in our senior nutrition program. Hear what he has to say about our new name change, building expansion needs and suggestions to help seniors stay in control of their health.

As part of our Meet the Board Members series, Russ Alman interviews Erin Cass, who holds the Director A position. Erin has worked with many nonprofits in the Wenatchee Valley in a variety of roles and currently operates her own business called Health Aging. Listen to this episode to find out more about Erin's vision for the Senior Center.