Senior Center gets painted

Volunteers from Central Colorado Humanists and the religious community participated in the Convergence Project Saturday and Sunday by painting Salida Senior Citizens Center. This group includes, from left, Carol LoCastro, Linda McMenamy and Ray Steffa, all with Central Colorado Humanists. Photo by Arlene Shovald

By Arlene Shovald - Special to The Mail - Sept 22, 2008

The Convergence Project completed another task during the weekend that will benefit the community by pain

ting interior of Salida Senior Citizens Center.

The Convergence Project, under the direction of Brock Oyler, executive director, is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to get diverse groups working together on projects that will benefit the community in general.

The first project involved setting up a playground recently at the Salida Middle School.

Painting at the senior center included representatives from Central Colorado Humanists, First Presbyterian Church, Salida Zen Buddhist meditation group and others in the faith community.

The painting was coordinated by Gale Garner, a professional painter and a member of Central Colorado Humanists.

Roy Abbott of Hylton Lumber donated six gallons of paint plus the sample paint needed to determine the color prior to the beginning of the project.

"He also mixed our specialty colors," said Mary Lou Church, a member of the Humanists. "And when we realized we were going to need another gallon he donated that too."

Danna Tullis of Creative Edge Art School selected the colors.

Pizza Hut delivered pizza at noon to feed the volunteers.

Susan Topping, administrator at the senior center, oversaw the work with a smile on her face.

"Everybody is helping with work at the senior center," Topping said. "We're happy to see people getting involved, both in helping with the projects that need to be done and with the center itself."