How to Register or Join an Event or Class
To register or join and event or class, go to the Calendar of Events, find the class or event, and follow the instructions listed. New to Zoom? Go to our Zoom Like a Pro page to find out how to use Zoom.
2021 GiveOrcas Holiday Catalog
Would you support Orcas Senior Center’s new Home Maintenance and Repair (HM&R) Pilot Program through the GiveOrcas Holiday Catalog December 1-15?
We hear too often nowadays that seniors and adults with disabilities are unable to arrange maintenance on their homes, resulting in unsafe conditions. Orcas Senior Center is requesting your help to help fund the development of the HM&R Pilot Program through the GiveOrcas Catalog. The HM&R Pilot Program will help connect seniors and adults with disabilities homeowners with qualified contractors in order to facilitate house repairs and maintenance, thus helping people to improve the safety of their home and to Age Well on Orcas.
Double your impact! During this giving season, your generous donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to our $15,000 goal. Thank you!
An Appeal to You
As the needs for services grow for Orcas seniors, so does the need for funding for Orcas Senior Center.
Please consider making a donation to Orcas Senior Center. With your help we will reach our goal of $100,000 and not only maintain but also expand the services and programs so necessary to our island seniors.
Your contribution will show Orcas seniors that they are an integral and valued part of our community and deserve to Age Well on Orcas.
To see our accomplishments and our goals for the upcoming year, see our appeal infographic here and our appeal letter here.
Introducing our New Logo
In September, we introduced our new logo with a beautiful watercolor image of an old growth forest. With this new logo, we hope to portray strength, renewal, support, and connection. To read more about why we chose this design, read the article published in The Orcasonian here.
COVID-19: Be in the Know
To see the latest information about San Juan County’s COVID vaccination effort, including eligibility and announcements of vaccination dates, and to schedule a vaccine appointment, go here.
Could you use a QR code to quickly scan or a link for a digital copy of your COVID verification record? Go to WAverify here.
Do you know a community member who needs extra assistance with signing up for the COVID-19 vaccine? If so, help is available through a collaboration between San Juan County Health and Community Services, Orcas Senior Center, and Orcas Community Resource Center.
Please contact San Juan County Senior Services Specialist Jami Mitchell at (360) 376-7926 or Jana Webb from Orcas Community Resource Center at (360) 376-3184 for details regarding this assistance.
Keep up to date with the latest information about COVID-19 locally, statewide, and globally:
San Juan County
Washington State Department of Health
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
World Health Organization
How Many Books Can You Find?
Introducing Orcas Senior Center‘s Little Free Library! May thanks to all who made this a reality, especially former OSC employee, Vicki O’Keefe (pictured), now Orcas Island School District Librarian for envisioning this project. Also, thanks to Stu Stephens for masterfully building it complete with cedar shake roofing. And thank you to OSC’s Art with Carla class, Carla Stanley, Karen Johnston, Barb Garrett, Jari Brenner, Sharon Inman, and Kim Rose, who artfully designed and painted the library with images from classic books and local Orcas authors. Orcas District Committee members Allan Rosato and Darcey Miller, installed and weatherized the library to complete the project.
So, on your next trip to town, stop by Orcas Senior Center at 62 Henry Road, borrow a book and check out our Little Free Library masterpiece. While you’re at it, how many classic books can you find in the artwork?
Mask-Maker, Mask-Maker…
Super volunteer Maggie Kaplan has been hard at work hand-making masks for our community and visitors alike since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, she has raised over $19,000 in donations for her masks! All proceeds have been donated to Orcas Senior Center! Thank you, Maggie!! (Maggie has even had so much time on her hands from being stuck at home that she’s sewn a beautiful quilt made of all the leftover mask fabric!)
You can pick up your very own stylish and well-sewn masks from her carport at 158 Palisades Drive.
Read more about Maggie and her masks in this article from the Islands’ Sounder here.
Buddy Check-In
Are you a senior? Would you appreciate a regular phone check-in by an Orcas Senior Center volunteer during your self-isolation?
Are you interested in volunteering as a buddy?
Contact Jim Glozier at Jim@orcasseniors.org or (360) 919-9318 or click the button below.
Real Time Air Quality Measurements @ OSC
As part of its Air Quality Monitoring Project, San Juan County has installed a PM2.5 monitor on the Orcas Senior Center building.
What are PM2.5? PM2.5, which stands for “Particulate Matter 2.5, are microscopic particles that are only a tiny percentage of the diameter of a human hair in size (2.5 micrometers or smaller, to be exact). Their microscopic size allows them to bypass the protective areas of the nose and throat and penetrate deep into the lungs, potentially causing health problems. On Orcas Island, the most common sources of PM2.5 are motor vehicles, residential wood burning, and seasonal forest fires.
The box below shows up-to-date readings from the PM2.5 air quality monitor installed at the Orcas Senior Center. Any number less than 50 is considered to be generally safe. Click on the “Purple Air Map” text at the bottom to get even more information from the sensor and to see readings in other locations.
For public health guidance from San Juan County Health & Human Services for PM2.5 concentrations, go here.