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APRIL 2017 • LAFAYETTE TODAY • PAGE 1
APRIL 2017
SENIOR CENTER WITHOUT WALLS
By Linda Summers Pirkle
The kitchen wall phone of yesteryear (usually in a pastel blue, sunny yellow, or white) allowed the user to cradle it under her chin, stir the contents of a bowl, and wipe down the counter to the distance that corresponded with the farthest reach of the extra -long cord; all the while chatting with a best friend. Do you remember when dialing the telephone was one of the quickest and easiest ways to reach out to friends and colleagues? With all the forms of technology available today including email, texting, Facebook, Snapchat, Skype, G-chat etc., the old fashioned telephone is often times overlooked as a technology of its own. However, since 2004, hundreds of seniors, many of whom are from the generation who prefer to use old school tech, take part in Senior Center Without Walls, an award-winning program offering activities, education, friendly conversation, and an assortment of classes, support groups, and presentations, all by real time group telephone calls. Based in San Francisco, Senior Center Without Lynn Rayburn, one of the original participants in the Senior Center Walls (SCWW) is a subWithout Walls program noted, “I discovered Senior Center Without sidiary of Episcopal Senior Walls was the ideal place for me. I’d been a social worker all my life, Communities. Katie Wade, I had that need to be needed. That was the most important thing.” Program Manager with SCWW, shared her thoughts on the program and its success with its many participants, “Before I came to SCWW, I didn’t think of the phone as a technology. But now, I realize this basic technology, the telephone, is a great equalizer. Not only do most people have access to a phone, but there is a special component to meeting someone over the telephone. Because we can’t see each other, many stereotypes are stripped away; we’re able to get to know each other’s heart and thoughts without the trappings of bias.” Chris Dana, Culinary Artist and Episcopal Senior Community executive recently facilitated a SCWW cooking program via telephone and video conference with mouthwatering descriptions of a tantalizing menu of green papaya and carrot salad, curry catfish and kale with lime jasmine rice, and a toasted coconut cheesecake. Besides giving tips on cooking, he described his childhood in Fresno, California where he was exposed to fine cuisine with inspired family meals created by his mother who loved to experiment in the kitchen. The program lasted 45 minutes, and participants asked questions and shared some of their thoughts on the presentation which appropriately ended at noon, just in time for lunch. There are hundreds of seniors in the Bay Area who call in for programs about politics, art, religion, travel, health, and much more. Not only do they learn about subjects, but they also have the opportunity to share their thoughts. One participant, Stephanie, shared her ides on the importance of the programs in her life. With the new friends she made on her Gratitude Session with SCWW, she “dared to share” a difficult problem she was going through. With the perspective of a new phone friend, she was able to look at her dilemma through a different lens and said, “I felt a burden lift.” She added, “I feel grateful for being heard.” Senior Center Without Walls started in 2004 with six participants. In January 2016,
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LAFAYETTE EARTH DAY FESTIVAL TO FOCUS ON SUSTAINABLE YOUTH
The City of Lafayette and the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with local non-profit organization Sustainable Lafayette, will host the city’s 12th annual Earth Day Festival at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center. The theme of this year’s festival is “Sustainable Youth,” and the event will showcase local youth groups as well as exhibitors who will provide attendees with inspiration and awareness about how to make their local community more sustainable and connect them with opportunities to help. The Festival will take place from 11am to 3pm on Sunday, April rd 23 on Golden Gate Way behind the Lafayette Library and Learning Center, and at the plaza of the library, located at 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd in Lafayette.
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PACIFIC MAHJONG LEAGUE
By Fran Miller
If the game of Mahjong has ever piqued your interest, the Pacific Mahjong League (PML) invites you to learn more. This fun and sociable
game combines a balance of luck, skill, and strategy that makes for intriguing competition. And it can be played for a lifetime. The game is also widely believed by researchers to aid memory. The game of Riichi Mahjong often appears overly complicated, says Daniel Moreno, a PML organizer. “Even those who know how to play often find it difficult to teach others effectively. But luckily we have some people at the club who are amazing teachers that have experience teaching hundreds of people. So feel free to come; anyone can learn how to play!” Mahjong is a tile-based game that originated in China during the Qing Dynasty. It is played between four
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