Seniors enjoy new paint in facility

Letter to the Editor in The Mountain Mail
October 7, 2008

Dear Editor,

On Saturday morning, September 20th, a group of diverse volunteers belonging to the Humanists, the First Presbyterian Church and one lone Salida Zen Buddhist came together under the umbrella of The Convergence Project to paint the Senior Center. In this time of political bickering, it was a welcome example of people of different faiths and beliefs putting aside their differences to get something done. They were a cheerful group headed up by Gale Garner., a professional painter who made sure our new look was meticulously executed with every attention to detail we could have asked for.

The Seniors are now enjoying a brighter facility and many of our members have expressed their gratitude to this generous group of helpers. Thanks to Mary Lou Church for helping to coordinate everybody and staying on to the bitter end with Gale Gaynor and Ray Steffa. More thanks to Bonnie Lathrop, Carol Lo Castro, Kathy Fogles, Marsha Sherry, Michael Kirtley, Diana Smith for precision borders and Linda McMenamy for tackling the closets.

Special thanks to Roy Abbott of Hylton Lumber for donating the paint and mixing the colors as well as Pizza Hut for donating plenty of delicious pizza to hungry painters.

None of this would have happened without the determined efforts of Brock Oyler, founder and Director of The Convergence Project who initiated, coordinated and rounded up manpower and supplies. Our biggest thanks goes to Brock for crossing party lines to get the job done. It's encouraging to have an organization like the Convergence Project promoting common ground in our fractured world. We all benefit from working together. The Senior Center of Salida, in particular, sends their thanks and appreciation to the representatives of these six groups who helped each other to help the seniors freshen up.

Sincerely,

Susan Topping, Administrator
Salida Senior Center.