Jami Mitchell Leads Senior Center Non-profit

Jami Mitchell

— by Margie Doyle —

“I love my new job!” Jami Mitchell says unabashedly.

She works every day, 25 hours a week as the Senior Center Manager, to be “a support for everything that happens here, from room rentals to programs.” She works for the non-profit Senior Services Council of San Juan County, which serves the three major county islands, and which on Orcas does business as the Orcas Island Senior Center. Her “Board of Directors” is the Senior Center Operations Committee. The actual building, off North Beach and Mt. Baker Roads, is owned 51 percent by the Orcas Island Senior Center and 49% by the County.

Yes, it’s a little confusing, and Mitchell is well-qualified to navigate the government agency/non-profit organization blend.  She comes to the Senior Center after years working as a manager at Doe Bay Resort, for whom she still does consultation work, and coordinates the annual Doe Bay Music Festival in August. Before that, she earned a Bachelor’s Degree at Smith College, followed by a Masters Degree in Peace and Development and Conflict Transformation, geared particularly to non-profits.

Jami is skilled and comfortable in collaborative development, both in maintaining the capital investment of the 2002 building, and in arranging the many events that make the Senior Center a vital asset to the community. After recent County personnel changes and “a lot of work,” a new maintenance agreement has been negotiated. “It was a long time in the making, and again shows collaboration,” says Jami. The agreement provides for maintaining the capital investment of all physical aspects of the building, including custodial, repair and replacement considerations.

Already two events have demonstrated her talents at program partnerships: the Granny’s Attic Sale, which was the most successful so far, earning over $10,000; and the Cinco de Mayo potluck, which she says is “such a fantastic example of what can happen here. We had our regular Senior Center crowd and friend and families and kids having a great time together. The Elders were really touched to be with the kids and babies and many younger people told me that they’d never even been in the building before!”

Jami says, “We really want to see more of these kind of events.The demographic of active Seniors at the Center range from 70s upward beyond the 90s, and it’s fabulous to hear all the stories from around the globe or decades on Orcas, of seniors who’ve had families, built homes, had adventures. They’re so eager to share. Intergenerational activities and experiences are just one of the rich opportunities that haven’t been fully explored.

“The Senior Center is such a community hub that is really an asset to everyone, across the generations.”

Coming right up is the monthly Tea at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10, and the Orcas 4-H Dinner on the following Wednesday, June 17. This summer, with a grant from the Orcas Island Community Foundation, the Senior Center is expanding its luncheon program to three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, beginning July 6. New lectures and event programming are also on the horizon.

Meanwhile, Jami is leading the Center in two major projects: the Pave the Way, a collaboration with the County to pave parking lot; and the Membership Drive.

Pave the Way is a $42,000 fund-raising project to provide repaving and parking at the Center, to take place this summer. The County is contributing $30,000 towards the work,  and the Senior Center non-profit’s portion of the expense is $12,000. “It’s a significant bill, and the amount is not in our reserves,” says Mitchell. She is planning a campaign to help raise the funds, and welcomes any contributions, which are tax-deductible, and can be mailed to the Senior Center at PO Box 1653, Eastsound WA 98245.

“It’s really vital we get the road fixed,” Mitchell says. “Drivers and pedestrians find it difficult to navigate the potholes, and to not have the roads and parking in better shape is a pity. Historically, it’s been a bear of a problem.” She explains that Henry Road, the access to the Senior Center from North Beach Road, is a private road shared by Salmonberry School, the Crossroads Community (the Crayola houses), Jehovah’s Witness Church, the County and the Senior Center. Now a homeowners association composed of all the stakeholders has been formed to maintain the road.

Annual Membership Drive
With annual memberships at the Center running from August 1 to July 31, summer is the time to sign up as a member. Formerly, one had to be 60 years of age to become a member. Now membership is open to all ages,

A new benefit of membership is the collaboration with the Senior Center which charges $5 for Senior Center members to attend Orcas Center programs. “It provides a fantastic bump to our membership, and also builds Orcas Center audiences,” says Mitchell.

Mitchell is working to build the volunteer component at the Senior Center, so that it can “work at its capacity on the island to do good work. It’s been exciting to see community members stepping up, whether as volunteer drivers or workshop presenters, or making cookies.

“There are so many opportunities to plug in, it doesn’t have to be a big deal.” An example is the  growing list of volunteer drivers for meals, which serve 60 to 80 seniors at a time, and the volunteer drivers operate the van to pick many of them up. There is also a “Meals on Wheels” program for about 10 homebound seniors.

Jami is also looking for new members on the Board of Directors, called the Senior Center Operations Committee, particularly a financial advisor or treasurer. She also hopes to engage a larger cross section of the community demographic.

Her “partner” at the Senior Center is Marla Johns, employed full-time by the County as Orcas Island Senior Services Coordinator. “Marla and I recognize the strengths each other have and support each other. We both have challenges to our jobs and it behooves us to work all together as a unified front for the benefit of the senior population.

“We work closely together, and check in multiple times a day. We’re both in and out a lot, so we catch each other on the fly and there’s always our friend, email.”

Down the road, an Art Auction in 2016 will be an added fundraiser for the Senior Center. Islanders are welcome to make donations of funds or artwork, which are tax-deductible.

Jami is full of ideas, gratitude and enthusiasm. She says, “So many different entities are working together to provide services, a blend of public and private. It’s just fabulous to to be able to be involved, it’s truly a community hub.”