Category: From the Director

UPDATE FROM THE DIRECTOR 

The Central’s Annual Seafair Patio Party and our official Grand Re-Opening following a year of uncertainty and change owing to COVID-19 was a success! We were grateful to see 120 persons come out to celebrate with us and to donate while having fun.

There were no Hydro Races this year. Neither were the Blue Angels flying overhead making noise while an audience delighted in their maneuvers like years past. Nonetheless, it was a good time. People gathered and ate great food by those specializing in a variety of dishes. Walter Washington provided smoked brisket with collard greens and smoked turkey, Rev. Doakes Louisiana BBQ delighted us with smoked chicken and his special vinegar BBQ based sauce. Ezell’s prepared macaroni and cheese with hot yeast rolls that were delicious. Chef Anthony of The Central tore up the potato salad, handled the plating of food to pass on to the volunteer servers and Seneeka Colly’s Red Velvet cake was moist and oh so good. People didn’t know which dessert to select Red Velvet Cake or Star Sweetz’s Peach Cobbler.

We appreciated the many contributions helping to underwrite the cost of the event. This enabled us to net $4,300.00 at our Grand Re-Opening. The contributions came at a good time. We officially became the owners of the building and property on December 15, 2020. Slowly we are hoping to make upgrades to the building and property prior to launching a community engaged planning process for major renovations to the building and property.

Within the next two – three years our aim is to remodel the parking lot, retrofit the building, install a new HVAC system, and acquire a generator.

Throughout 2020 and 2021, Central Area Senior Center was able to adapt our programming and activities to better serve seniors during a challenging year. We shifted our Community Dining lunch program to a take-out and delivery program serving between 40-120 meals daily depending on the menu selection that is offered.

By October 1, 2021, we are preparing to reintroduce congregate meals during the lunch hour and phase out meal delivery to those who can come into the building and enjoy congregate dining.

Presently we are creating a new website with some new features that will showcase our work and highlight old and new programs and activities. We are excited to be partnering with the Elite Collective for the new design. The website should be completed by the beginning of October.

We look forward to introducing Live Music once again on the 3^rd Fridays of each month at our Green Dolphin Lounge, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. We have already booked some great entertainment. I anticipate that reservations will fill up quickly. Featured entertainment already booked

include:
               CT Thompson, September 17^th

               Mercedes Nicole doing a Tribute to Shirley Horn, November 19^th, and

               Eugenie Jones and her Trio performs at the Holiday Gala on December 11^th.

We are proud to bring these delightful performers to The Central. Make your reservation by calling us at 206-726-4926.

CASC looks forward to our continuation of providing valuable services and programming to seniors and the community now and in the future while offering a safe place to make connections in 2021 and beyond.

Thank-you to everyone partnering with us in this effort. If you are able, please drop in to visit with us next time you are in the area. We would love to share the Green Dolphin Lounge experience with you and/or lunch in Cafe Central.

At The Central, there is always plenty of good food, great entertainment and many programs and activities to choose from. Hope to see you soon!

Regards,

Dian Ferguson

Executive Director

UPDATE FROM THE DIRECTOR 

Owing to the Coronavirus and the requirement for spatial separation, it became necessary to readapt our programs and activities to serve seniors this year.  No longer could we offer congregate meals a mainstay for socialization or our regular programs and activities.  Within the time we established some new adaptations.    

Now we provide 40 – 100 to-go lunches daily prepared by Chef Anthony.  We deliver some lunches and meals with basic groceries essentials on Wednesdays and Fridays.  Presently we deliver upwards to 200 essential groceries bi-weekly, offer health and wellness calls, and help seniors complete forms for entitlement benefits like food, housing, health care enrollment, and unemployment support.  

Office hours are being maintained, 8:30 am – 5 pm, Monday – Friday for this purpose.  Staff and several volunteers are on-site daily helping to prepare and bag groceries, acting as drivers to deliver hot meals, and cold to go boxed lunches. Those picking up lunches can come through the front door and get them. 

Spatial distance is being utilized. All staff members have their own offices. The dining hall is ample spacing for the preparation of the to-go hot meals, boxed lunches, and groceries to be delivered. Staff and volunteers have all been provided masks and nitrile gloves for usage.

Central Area Senior Center is in a healthy financial situation even as we maneuver our programs and activities adapting to the changing environment in which we currently operate.  Donors have been generous.  You are one more example of this generosity we are experiencing.  During non-COVID-19 days revenue was generated by a variety of means, individuals, corporations, small businesses, grants from foundations, rental revenue, membership dues, and program fees.  Presently our primary funds are coming from the government, foundations, corporations, and individual donors.  

Last year, King County Executive Dow Constantine announced that the Central Area Senior Center and the Des Moines/Normandy Park Senior Activity Center were jointly awarded $1.5 million to support an innovative African Diaspora Hub. The funding for this 4.5-year effort was to bring more African American and African immigrant seniors into these centers.  Through this partnership with DesMoines, CASC is providing a Chef, Chef Jackie Sue to cook African American-inspired meals for pick-up and to-go meals.  They are currently also receiving and participating in our grocery delivery program.

In June of 2020, CASC was informed that The Central had been selected as one of the awardees for the HL 2A: Evidence-Based Senior Health Promotion funding with King County, Department of Community and Human Services, Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy. The total award amount for our agency was $458,430. The award period is effective from August 1, 2020, to December 31, 2023.

Most recently on Saturday, November 21^st CASC partnered with several organizations including FAME church in the Central District and several South King County organizations to serve 460 seniors, individuals, and families as a drive-thru service (Federal Way), a pickup service (FAME), and a delivery service of homebound seniors with groceries including their choice of either a turkey, 17 lbs. – 20 lbs. and/or honey-baked ham.  

We continued to face challenges in our campaign to receive a transfer/sale of the building and land from the City of Seattle.  However, this fall following our meeting with the Mayor at the center and the Interdepartmental Leadership Team of the City of Seattle, (transfer/sale negotiators) momentum was gained.  We hired a real estate lawyer, Connie Proctor, and jointly entered a more serious negotiation for the building and land.  We finally came to an agreement on the negotiated language.  The Mayor recommended a transmittal of the property to the Seattle City Council and they unanimously voted to affirm the transfer of the building and property to us with the agreed-upon terms.  The official signing of the papers for the title and transfer is scheduled for Tuesday, December 15^th, 2020. 

All facets of these activities are costly and time consuming for us. Thus, it is with great appreciation we accept your donations to support our work allowing us to support the emergency food needs of our members and families within the community.  Food scarcity is unfortunately a reality of our times.  We are grateful to have partners in this struggle to see that no one goes hungry.

Thank you for the generosity of your donation and support this year during a pandemic, an inability to gather as we have in the past, and through the loss of members, family, and friends. Our hearts grieve for those that we have lost this year.  

We wish you happiness and joy this Holiday Season and we are grateful for the time we could spend together via phone, emails, and digital means in 2020.  We anticipate that things will not be radically different during the first quarter of the year, however, be on the lookout for the launching of our YouTube Channel, Zoom programming, and other digital activities.  Our lending library of Tablets to engage with us is available once you sign up with Ray Bradley for an orientation and instructional session.  Tablets can be on loan from the center at no cost to members for up to three months. Thank-you for adjusting with us as we adapted to many changes in 2020.  

All in all, it has been an exciting and invigorating time for us.  We Thank-you for taking this journey together with us.  CASC will be closed from December 19^th and re-open on Monday, January 4, 2021. 

Warmly, 

Dian Ferguson 

Director