All Posts in "Joan Cronk"

William Bender holding "Abbadon." Photo by Joan Cronk

The Fred Oldfield Heritage Center in Puyallup, with its old west theme was the perfect venue for the recent showcase of the South Puget Sound Woodturners.
Joella Oldfield, Executive Director of the Fred Oldfield Heritage Center at the Puyallup Fairgrounds, said that the art of wood turning has been done for “hundreds of years.”
Members of the South Puget Sound Woodturners (SPSW), invited woodturners from three other states Oregon, Idaho and Montana to join them and over 100 pieces were displayed at the art show.
Ed Quesnell, a member of SPSW said, “The purpose of the show is to educate the public about woodturning and the art and the procedure that you go through.”
Ninety-four-year old Oldfield, a well-known local artist, was in attendance, as was SPSW member and founder Ted Bartholomew, who is 92. The two had never met before and Joella Oldfield got a real kick out of watching them interact.
Fred Oldfield has been referred to as the “Granddaddy of Western Art,” and his generosity with his craft is well-known.
Bartholomew is also generous with his knowledge of woodturning. Not only is he an extremely proficient woodturner, he also has built many lathes and taught classes for years.
“There is something about people from that generation that makes them tough and strong,” Joella said.
SPSW member Bill Bender won the Judge’s Choice award for his piece, “Abbadon.”  This was the first time Bender had entered a piece and he was pleased with his win and encouraged to enter more events in the future.
Bartholomew walked away with an Honorable Mention ribbon for his turned hat with a knit band.  The People’s Choice award went to Paul Crabtree for piece called “Majestic.”
SPSW President Dan Stromstad said it was a great event. “It was really nice of Joella to put that on for us,” he said, adding that they have received many positive comments from folks who attended.
SPSW has over 200 members, the youngest being 11 years old and the oldest, Bartholomew. Both genders are well-represented within the group.
“Our club teaches a lot and I think that is why we are so popular because we have a constant source of great teachers, plus our own teachers within our own club,” said Stromstad, adding that everyone is willing to share.
“We have done a great deal to improve the meetings themselves by purchasing a new lathe and equipment and a better sound and video system,” said Stromstad proudly, adding that the SPSW is the largest club in the State.
The friendly nature of members and their willingness to share are two of the things that make the SPSW a very popular club.
“I joined the club and went to meetings and learned a great deal and tried and tried, but when people took the time to hands on teach me, then I really excelled. Now I’m doing that for other members,” said Stromstad.
This was the first year for the woodturners event at the Fred Oldfield Heritage Center and members hope to make it an annual event.

Joan Cronk by — May 23, 2012 in Everything Else

For folks residing in nursing or retirement homes, the days can be long and lonely. Fortunately there is an organization whose mission is to match volunteers with residents to visit one on one.
Marilyn Soderquist, Program Director for Friend to Friend, said that many seniors residing in facilities have their physical needs taken care of, but what they lack is a friend.  Friend to Friend started in 1974 in Des Moines, WA. They now serve King, Kitsap, Snohomish, Pierce and Thurston counties.Friend to Friend draws their volunteers from a variety of areas said Soderquist, such as reading about Friend to Friend on the internet, in the newspaper or word of mouth.
“We ask for two references for every person who volunteers and they are all subject to background checks,” said Soderquist.
Some residents prefer their visits to take place within the facility, while others enjoy an afternoon out for coffee or to shop.  “One resident in Bellevue asked to go to a tavern for oysters and beer,” said Soderquist.
Volunteers take the residents to do things they might not otherwise be able to do.  “Right now, many are planting gardens in their own flower boxes. Some watch ballgames together,” she said.
Connie Benjamin began volunteering with Friend to Friend five years ago and finds the experience, “Absolutely wonderful.”  The lady she volunteered with was named Dottie.
“We saw each other every week and we had a wonderful rapport and when her health failed and she moved to another facility, I followed her there,” said Benjamin.
Dottie has since passed away at age 95, but Benjamin said, “It was good to share my life with her. We shared all of our adventures.”  Benjamin said she learned all about Dottie’s past. “We were almost like family,” she said.
Soderquist said the program is unique. “It is the only program that does this work in five counties. Every facility can meet the physical needs of the residents and they do a good job, but there is no way they can reach the emotional needs of every resident.”
Volunteers visit at least twice a month at their convenience for one year and the visits benefit the volunteers, residents and the staff who care for them Soderquist said, adding, “We went to a volunteer appreciation the other night and one of the volunteers who had been visiting her friend for six years said it was the most rewarding thing she had ever done.”
To learn more about Friend to Friend contact Marilyn Soderquist at (206) 870-4266.

Joan Cronk by — May 23, 2012 in Everything Else

John Mikel, Program Specialist for Pierce County Community Connections Aging and Disability Resources (ADR), says that their Advisory Board is looking for new members to serve as advocates for clients and to advise ADR of the senior and disabled population in Pierce County.

“In the past we did not necessarily recruit for a targeted demographic, but now we are,” said Mikel, who added they are looking for representatives who are seniors and adults with disabilities to serve on the board.  They are also hoping to include more young adults with disabilities in order to balance out their membership.

“A board of this nature definitely has more female members than male members and we would like to have more males as representatives,” said Mikel.

Maggie Sweasy has been a board member since 2003 and says her time on the board has given her an opportunity to lend a voice to aging or disabled individuals in her community.

When she visits Olympia she attempts to educate members of the legislature on what is important to clients and acts as their advocate.

Sweasy said another piece of her board commitment is to call folks who are receiving services such as having housework done or being driven to doctors, to be sure those services are being supplied as they were contracted.

Making sure senior nutrition programs are complying with their contracts to provide a safe and healthy meal is an important piece of Sweasy’s job. “Sometimes this is the only hot meal an elderly person might get that day so we make sure they are complying with that need,” she said.

Sweasy enjoys being an advocate.  “It is very fulfilling because above and beyond the monitoring, there is also the interaction in the legislative process,” said Sweasy who added board members also are visible at health fairs and always have a booth at the Puyallup Fair to educate others on the needs of aging and disabled populations as well as providing access to available resources.

“The board is the eyes and ears of Aging and Disability Resources and also advises on any matter that would be pertinent to the populations that we serve,” said Mikel.  “We are grateful that our board exists, as well as for the work they perform.”

Board members serve a four-year commitment and are able to serve a total of eight years. Board members are not paid, but they are reimbursed for mileage.

“It is a huge commitment of time and energy for the board,” said Mikel, adding that after the four-year term, 90 percent of board members opt for a second term.

He sees serving on the board as a way of giving back to the community.   “They are shining examples of what can be done if you have a cooperative relationship between the government and the people they serve,” he said.

Board members are involved on a monthly basis and volunteer anywhere from a minimum of three to fifteen hours or more per month. Anyone interested in serving on the board can contact Mikel at (253) 798-2823 or e-mail him at jmikel@co.pierce.wa.us or contact Mickie Brown at (253) 798-7376 or e-mail her at mbrown3@copierce.wa.us.

Joan Cronk by — April 30, 2012 in Everything Else
Paint Tacoma-Pierce Beautiful-brightening houses and lives

Below: A team from St. Francis Cabrini plays around after painting one of two homes they tackled last year. Newkirk says they were instrumental in helping to locate eligible candidates in Lakewood.

This summer will mark the 28th season for Paint Tacoma-Pierce Beautiful.  To date, 2,031 homes have been transformed by groups of dedicated volunteers that keep coming back year after year.

Greg Newkirk, Director of Paint Tacoma-Pierce Beautiful (PTPB), is still looking for applicants who qualify for the program.

This year’s program has about 30 applications so far, and Newkirk would like to see about 100 to 150.

“The deadline is April 9, but for Senior Scene readers, we might extend that application deadline,” he said.

Applicants need to be low income as defined by HUD and either 60 and over, or, if under 60 years of age, they need to have an established disability.

The program, said Newkirk, connects homeowners with volunteers and the community resources and helps them maintain their affordable housing.

“Our primary focus is to help low income elderly and low-income disabled stay in their homes,” explained Newkirk.

Newkirk has been involved as a volunteer since 1992.

“I was a team member and then eventually a team lead for the Weyerhaeuser company crew and then I participated on Mason United Methodist crew for many years,” explained Newkirk, who participated in the program for a number of years before coming on board full time with the Associated Ministries program last year.

“It was a leap of faith,” he said.  “A huge change for me and when the job opened up I said let me go for it.”

Newkirk said they are also going to enhance their yard cleanup activities, specifically in the Lakewood and Tacoma areas and explained that this is a new piece for PTPB.

“This is another opportunity to serve and we’re interested in hearing from organizations that would like to be a part of that,” he said.

PTPB relies on donations from a number of generous organizations. The PTPB group provides all the materials that stay with the home, such as paint thinner, paint, caulking, primer and minor repair materials, and the crews provide everything else, such as the ladders and the labor.

PTPB receives funding from the City of Tacoma, City of Lakewood, Pierce County and also a number of private donations and foundations such as State Farm Insurance, Sequoia Foundation and Grey Lumber, just to mention a few.

Parker Paint has been a long time supporter, said Newkirk. “They give us a significant discount on paint and do amazing work with us every year.”

Newkirk said that so may of the homeowners just need a little help. ‘When you meet them in person, especially during and after, it lifts their spirits and you see the joy and they know that people really do care,” he said.

Volunteers also get a lift from their work with the program, especially those that bring their children along to help.

Volunteers must be eight years and older and children are overseen by adults to be sure quality and safety are maintained.

Anyone who is interested in applying for the program, or volunteering can call Newkirk at (253) 426-1505 or go to paintbeautiful.org on line to download the application.

Joan Cronk by — March 21, 2012 in Spotlight