|
What is hoped to be first of many fundraisers for senior-citizen programs being held tomorrow
By Mike Gervais Register Staff
It's time to celebrate seniors, and the community has the opportunity to step up and support the group that supports our elders.
The Inyo-Mono Area Agency on Aging will be hosting tomorrow the first Celebrate Seniors Fundraiser, a program it hopes to turn into an annual event. The fundraiser will feature a barbecue, live music, auction items and a See seniors, page A-5 seniors Continued from front page new fundraiser that will give local residents the opportunity to financially support some of IMAAA's most important services. Celebrating Seniors is being held at Robin Stater's Serventi House at 187 E. Line St. in Bishop on Friday, June 1 at 6 p.m. The cost is $25 per person. Stater's home and yard are described by IMAAA as "park-like," and the staff at the Bishop Senior Center will be cooking up barbecue tri-tip, roasted potatoes, salad, rolls, vegetables and an ice cream-covered strawberry brownie for dessert. For the Love of Swing will provide the music for the evening, but those planning to attend can do more than dance at the barbecue. The evening will be chock-full of opportunities to help support IMAAA, from live auctions to the new adopt-a-senior-service fundraiser.
 Residents are invited to take part in Celebrating Seniors at Robin Stater's home on Line Street. There will be a park-like atmosphere, live music, auctions and a barbecue dinner for $25. Photo by Darcy Ellis
There will also be opportunities for those who attend to review the various services and programs IMAAA offers. "We have certain key services: home delivered meals, shopping assistance and professional care," IMAAA Director Charlie Broten said. "Those are all the services that most affect seniors' ability to stay at home." Donations will be directly linked to certain IMAAA services. "We're going to batch those senior services," Broten said. For example, a $25 adoption donation towards the shopping assistance program will pay for three hours of the service for a local senior. Additionally, a $50 donation to the Meals on Wheels program will pay for three weeks' worth of home delivered meals. A $500 adoption donation to Meals on Wheels, Broten said, will cover the cost of providing the service to a senior for a year. "This is the first time we've had an event like this, and we hope it continues," Broten said. "We do have some major sponsors that have donated to the event to help out," and the auction on Friday will have a little something for everyone, Broten said. Among the auction items, residents will find a season pass to Mammoth Mountain, a mobility scooter and a cabin rental, all donated by local businesses and individuals. IMAAA provides a range of services to about 1,500 seniors from Tecopa Hot Springs to Walker each year. Of those seniors receiving aid, about 450 "at-risk" seniors rely on critical in-home services, from personal care, homemaker aide and home-delivered meals to shopping assistance and professional care planning and management, to maintain their ability to live independently at home. All proceeds from the Celebrating Seniors fundraiser will directly support such critical in-home services. Outside of donations from local supporters, IMAAA receives funding from the state, county participant donors, foundations, such as Thrivent and Pillsbury, and more. "The county has really kicked up their support" as well, Broten said. "But these funds no longer meet the needs" of the programs, a press release from IMAAA states. Event planners, which consist of members of the IMAAA Governing Board, "hope to provide a festive evening and foster some friendly competition to encourage folks to 'adopt-a-senior service' for these at-risk folks," the press release states. Tickets for the Celebrating Seniors event are available by calling the IMAAA office at 1-800-510-2020 or (760) 873-6364. Tickets are also available at the Bishop Senior Center, the Sierra Design Studio in Mammoth Lakes and the IMAAA Office at 568 W. Line St. in Bishop. Broten suggested that anyone planning to attend the event who has yet to purchase their tickets call the IMAAA office in advance.
|
