Senior center welcomes help from realty crew

After a year of maintenance nightmares, the staff and volunteers at the Kalispell Senior Center welcomed a surprise offer of painting labor from Keller Williams Realty with donated Sherwin-Williams paint.

“Thanks to Chris Fraser and his crew, we have fresher, brighter interior walls and ceilings,” said Jim Pearson, president of the board of the Flathead Association of Senior Citizens.

Pearson said that Fraser told him that they volunteer for a worthy organization each year and asked what they needed. The “Red Day Crew” consisted of Dave Trebas, Ronda Kirkpatrick, Marcie West, Andrea Falcon, Eileen McDowell, Claire Sage, Paul Heidegger, Juli Abernathy, Roy Grillo, Dusty Dziza, Hilary Anderson, Lindsay Oberg and Sherri Sladek.

“They did the breezeway with the handicap ramp and the pool/game room and the manager’s office,” Pearson said. “Fourteen people went to work and got it done. They really did a good job.”

Their donation was a bright spot after a year when both furnaces expired and the roof developed a major leak, leaving the center with large repair bills. It’s had a big impact on the upcoming year’s operation.

“With our fiscal year beginning July1, we are budgeting about $9,000 less  than we spent all during 2009,” Pearson said.

He explained that Flathead County leases the property to the senior center for just a dollar a year. In return, Kalispell Senior Center agrees to provide the maintenance of the building and rentals located on the corner of Fourth Street and Second Avenue West.

Because of its age, the main building has many maintenance issues. The exterior needs painting as well as some other areas inside.

“We still need the ceiling in the dining room painted,” Pearson said. “We have the paint.”

The senior center also needs help and supplies to paint the rentals on the property which provide part of the support for the buildings and activities.

According to Pearson, the board is actively looking for ways to make up for the revenue losses of the last year. He said they have applied to become a United Way agency and organized their finances to produce budget documents required for grant applications.

“The repairs took quite a chunk out of our savings,” he said.

As a 501C3 nonprofit, the Kalispell Senior Center qualifies for tax-deductible donations and gifts. Pearson said they would appreciate receiving a working copier if a business is upgrading its equipment. They need a stand-alone copier rather than a printer to keep copying costs down.

He would also welcome tax-deductible donations of slow-moving merchandise from retail establishments.

“We can use them for prizes for bingo or gifts,” Pearson said.

Plans for the future include developing a computer lab at the center with donations or grants for up-to-date wireless equipment.

“We’d like to train seniors at least on e-mail,” he said.

The Kalispell Senior Center provides daily subsidized lunches as well as a variety of activities such as exercise classes and lectures from local experts aimed at keeping older adults active and healthy. The organization has been expanding by welcoming new members 55 and older to join.

Anyone interested in more information about donating or joining should call Lynne Lippy, senior center office manager, at 257-1598.