SENIOR CENTER NEWS: Join In Our Holiday Activities

Due to unforeseen circumstances ASI had to cancel our planned charity event this past Friday night at the Tennyson event center. Thanks to all who expressed support and who have made donations. We will work to reschedule our event in the near future. We continue to fundraise for our 2023 budget shortfall and request donations on our website www.psseniors.org anytime or in person at the Pagosa Senior Center throughout the year and into 2023. We wish you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.

Holiday Arts & Craft Fair 2022
Archuleta Seniors Inc will be hosting our first annual Holiday Arts & Craft fair featuring local vendors in the Pagosa Senior Center dining hall on Saturday December 3, from 10am to 3pm. If you would like to participate as a vendor please contact us at 505-331-0448. Festive holiday snacks will be available for purchase.

Holiday Ornament Craft
Do you want to learn how to make a beautiful and easy gift box for the holiday? And the best part is that it is made from last year’s Christmas cards! Join us on Monday December 5 at 1:15pm in the Senior Center Dining Hall to learn how to make this wonderful gift box. No art skills needed – no experience required – and all materials are provided for you! We will be cutting circles that have been traced on the cards and gluing them together in a special way. Our teacher will be Denise Fisk who is a former elementary school art teacher from the Iowa Public Schools. Come join us for some holiday fun!

Mather Institute Online Programming
Our virtual programs through the Mather Institute are designed to support your wellness journey, with opportunities to learn something new, connect, and explore. There are so many ways to explore creativity, express yourself, and create something meaningful! Below are a few fresh opportunities, along with a new meditation series. Each program is designed to support your wellness journey, offering the opportunity to get creative, connect, and try something new.

Here are upcoming programs:

Seasonal Aromatherapy
Tuesdays, November 29 and December 6, 11:00am This two-part workshop will focus on the holidays, as we discuss utilizing essential oils and natural materials to make gifts for ourselves or others. In the first class, you’ll be guided through creating bath salts, sugar scrubs, and/or body lotions, and in the second, we’ll make mulling spices. When you register https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seasonal-aromatherapy-tickets-460375785367, we’ll ask for your mailing address so we can send you the necessary materials ahead of time, at no charge.

Wood Slice Painting
Tuesday, November 29, 1:00pm Let’s get creative! Together, we’ll create a winter landscape, using watercolors on a 3- or 4-inch wood slice that’s perfect for an ornament or decorative display. All experience levels are welcome. When you register https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wood-slice-painting-tickets-460395404047, we’ll ask for your mailing address so we can send you the necessary materials ahead of time, at no charge.

Guided Mindfulness Meditations
Mondays, November 28-December 19, 9:30am. Proven to promote relaxation, sharpen focus, and reduce anxiety, mindfulness meditation can also support multiple aspects of physical, emotional, and mental health. In each session of this series, you’ll be guided through a different meditation. Register for any or all that you can attend: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/guided-mindfulness-meditations-tickets-460356898877

Session 1: Loving Kindness Meditation
Session 2: Guided Journey Meditation
Session 3: Body Scan Meditation
Session 4: Guided Imagery Meditation

Questions? Contact Mather at (888) 600-2560 or contact@mather.com.

COVID-19 Test Kits Available
Stop by the Pagosa Senior Center to pick up a pack of 5 free COVID-19 tests kits for your personal use. These kits are available to anyone in the public that needs affordable access for health promotion and disease prevention.

Mobile Food Pantry Service Available for Seniors
The Pagosa Senior Center would like to remind the community about our mobile food pantry services we provide in partnership with Archuleta County MET to seniors age 60 and older throughout most areas of Archuleta County. In order to participate in this program, community members must visit with Barbara Noriega at the downtown Senior Center located in the Ross Aragon Community Center to fill out an application to qualify for hot meal delivery service and/or the mobile pantry service. The application, called the dining assessment form, is also available on our website at the bottom of the Community Cafe page http://www.psseniors.org/community-cafeacute.html. For more information contact us at 970-264-2167.

Engaging Pictures
We are seeking photos from seniors and their families who live, work and play their best lives in Archuleta County. We are looking for pictures that convey people’s active lifestyles, families, culture and more. We would like to use these pictures in our grant applications, on social media and our website. Please email all pictures to rosa@psseniors.org.

Wingspan & New Programming
ASI is looking to expand our programming options. Wingspan, a game for bird lovers, was donated to the Senior Center and is looking for a champion to help facilitate this engaging board game. Come learn more about this fun game or suggest other ideas to help us find some new and meaningful opportunities to connect over and have fun. Please call or text us at 970-264-2167 to volunteer or for more information.

Community Cafe Menu

Thursday, November 24 – Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

Friday, November 25 – Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday.

Monday, November 28 – Minestrone soup with focaccia bread, salad with beets and fig dressing and fruit.

Tuesday, November 29 – Beef spaghetti with broccoli, garlic bread, salad and fruit.

Wednesday, November 30 – Pork posole with fixings, tortilla, salad and fruit.

Thursday, December 1 – Chicken crepes, broccoli, focaccia bread, salad and fruit.

Friday, December 2 – Cottage pie, wilted spinach, salad and fruit.

ASI Board of Directors has multiple vacant positions open. Terms are 3 years with an option to renew for an additional term. Potential candidates should be at least 55 years of age or older and must have a passion for adult and aging services.

ASI has an immediate monetary need to support ongoing operations and programming that provide critical services to some of the most vulnerable in Archuleta County. Please consider donating to Archuleta Seniors Inc. You may mail your donation to PO BOX 3444, Pagosa Springs CO 81147 or please visit our website: http://www.psseniors.org/ (donation button). Donation checks can be written to: Archuleta Seniors, Inc. We are located at 451 Hot Springs Blvd., in downtown Pagosa Springs.

For more information about ASI, please visit http://www.psseniors.org/.

Rosa Chavez

Rose Chavez is Executive Director for Archuleta Seniors, Inc. and Public Health Consultant at Archuleta Food System/Food Equity Coalition.