The Osoyoos Seniors Centre held its annual volunteer appreciation barbecue luncheon this past Saturday. Close to 40 volunteer members with the seniors centre attended the event, which was designed by the board of directors as a small gesture to thank the volunteers for all of their hard work and effort throughout the year. The luncheon also helped raise $2,000 for the South Okanagan-Similkameen Medical Foundation, which is raising funds to pay for equipment as part of the $325-million expansion of the Penticton Regional Hospital. Construction on that project is set to begin next year. Above, Osoyoos Mayor Sue McKortoff and Osoyoos Seniors Centre board president Dennis Goodridge (right) present a cheque to Peter Steele, a board member with the medical foundation, who lives in Osoyoos. (Keith Lacey photo)
Providing a nice meal and saying thanks doesn’t seem like much, but it’s the least the executive with the Osoyoos Seniors Centre can do once a year to ensure the many volunteers know how much their hard work is appreciated.
“Without our volunteers, we wouldn’t operate. It’s really that simple,” said Dennis Goodridge, who is completing his first term as president of the Osoyoos Seniors Centre board of directors.
This past Saturday afternoon, a group of more than 30 volunteers who are members at the Osoyoos Seniors Centre gathered for a volunteer appreciation luncheon at the centre, located on the shores of beautiful Osoyoos Lake near Gyro Park.
“This is the least we can do to show all of our dedicated volunteers that we really do appreciate what they do and all of the hard work that they put into our organization,” said Goodridge, who moved to Osoyoos 13 years ago and became an active volunteer with the Osoyoos Seniors Centre.
“The reality is a lot of the work is done by a very few and this is our way to say thanks. It’s nothing special, but we do treat them to a nice barbecue lunch and let them know that what they’re doing is very much appreciated and not forgotten.’
The Osoyoos Seniors Centre currently has close to 250 local members and another 225 seasonal members who flock to Osoyoos during the winter months.
“We’ve had an increasing number of seasonal members, which, of course, are our snowbirds who come here over the winter months,” said Goodridge. “That’s close to 500 members, which is a pretty impressive number considering the population of our small town.”
The Osoyoos Seniors Centre provides a long list of activities and events to keep members busy, including bingo, card games, pool, darts, live concerts and community events, said Goodridge.
“I think we’re great ambassadors for the town and provide a place where seniors can meet, have some fun and stay active,” he said. “This provides a very nice venue at a very reasonable price.”
During the volunteer appreciation luncheon, Goodridge was joined by Osoyoos Mayor Sue McKortoff in presenting a cheque for $2,000 to the South Okanagan-Similkameen Medical Foundation. The foundation is raising money to help fund the purchase of new equipment for the $325 million upgrade to Penticton Regional Hospital, which is expected to begin construction some time in the spring or summer of 2016.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
