When will Orcas Senior Center re-open?

||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER |||

It has been a little over a year since the Orcas Senior Center closed its doors due to COVID-19 safety concerns. Since then, we have successfully introduced new services like Buddy Check-In, now a mainstay of the center. We moved many activities to Zoom, and launched new ones, such as the virtual vineyard, Socrates Cafe, and Fresh Start Qigong. Our website orcasseniors.org is updated weekly, so check us out for times and dates of these and many other programs.

But for many of us, attending a Zoom event will never replace the face-to-face interactions and the social engagement we enjoy. Now, with many seniors fully vaccinated and more becoming vaccinated every day, it is time for us to begin gradually re-introducing in-person activities. The very successful Spring Clean-up in May was a great example of an activity that can easily be made safe for everyone, including the children who showed up to help!

We have recently begun receiving questions about our community meal program: When might it restart? Orcas Senior Center volunteers have actively supported vaccination efforts, monitored vaccination rates, and worked hard to ensure no senior is left behind as eligibility expands. While those who are fully vaccinated have enjoyed an increased sense of security, including the ability to gather in small groups, for larger group events “caution” is our watch word.

So, while we are all anxious to get back to normal, we do ask for your continued patience. The three-way partnership of the Orcas Senior Center, San Juan County, and the Council on Aging—which together bring you the meal program—is working in collaboration to ensure a safe re-opening. Meanwhile, please help us stay the course by continuing to follow health guidelines and encouraging others to get vaccinated. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and we will share our safe start plans as they develop. We appreciate your patience, value your feedback, and want to hear how we can all support each other as we rally to beat this virus, once and for all!