Senior News September, 2001 Vol. 20. No.  9

 

Published by the Humboldt Senior Resource Center in Eureka, California. HSRC is a non-profit community-based organization offering services for senior citizens, multi-generational families and caregivers.

Unsung heroes: Bridgeville Lunch Bunch creates a community

Unsung Heroes

Remembering Spirit: Who are your unsung heroes?

Grandparents' Day takes on a different feel

Ask the Nurse

Is there a "brain drain" among California physicians?

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Unsung heroes
Bridgeville Lunch Bunch creates a community
by Jessie A. Wheeler

Bridgeville Senior Lunch Bunch in Murphy's 1963 Cadillac convertible, July 2001. In front of the car are Jane Murphy and Jessie Wheeler; in the front seat Aileen Crain is at the wheel, Ellen Judd and Mike Guerrero. Back seat are Billie Lichte, Ceci LeMieux, and Patty Hess. Seated on the top of the car is Lauri Rose, former Home Health nurse. In the back row from left are Bob Judd, van driver Brenda and daughter, center director Dave Vegliano, Rose Valentine, Claudia Sauers and Jane Morton. Photo by Larry Crain

My story started in about 1993 when our first director Christy Keener received a Healthy Start (HS) grant on behalf of the community. Many concerned and dedicated people - including me, seniors, parents, community members and people representing several organizations in Humboldt County - had spent a lot of after-work hours at meetings prior to the application, organizing our ideas about what we wanted from this grant.

At that time, the Bridgeville area (27 miles east on Hwy. 36 from Hwy. 101) had no sense of community. What did exist was our school with its dedicated teaching and classified staff, families and students. Historically this was a vital community of which many of us have fond memories.

The Senior Lunch Bunch resulted from the Healthy Start concept of building a better community to give our young people a strong sense of community "family." A community center was built from the HS grant, giving us a place to connect. This center was built with sweat equity of the community, including seniors. The actual construction of the center resulted in a lot of community building. The senior lunch was started there with just three or four people each week-then one or two more would show up. Today 35 or more seniors come at different times. Our lunch has 15 or more attendees each week.

Because of the remoteness of the area a large percentage of these seniors and their families would not know each other without the center. We have been able to share and help each other through hardship, sadness and tragedy as well as good times, fun trips and a lot of helpful information sharing.

St Joseph Health Systems provides a nurse for us as well as a generous financial contribution toward our van. Patty Hess, our nurse, is very helpful with monitoring ongoing health conditions, questions and support. The van, provided by the McLean Foundation, gives many seniors access to the lunch and to field trips. Most recently we were well received at Cher-Ae Heights.

The Community Center is on Bridgeville School campus. This has resulted in a wonderful interaction between seniors and youth. Often we have children, parents and grandparents of families under the same roof on Tuesday afternoons. Recently the Bridgeville 4-H expressed a wish to help the seniors. As a result two seniors have received a really good job of yard work from the 4-H.

Communication is a big problem in this remote area, and a community newsletter was another benefit of HS grant. Most of the time the Senior Lunch Bunch collates, folds, staples and stamps the 430 copies that go out. This publication has all the important dates of coming events. More than half of our readers do not have any connection to the school and would not be involved in community events without this newsletter.

As a lifetime member of this community, I more than most am incredibly impressed with what has been done to reform and revitalize our community. What has been achieved here is amazing. All has been accomplished with volunteer commitment and individual sacrifice to create a kind, supportive and vital community.

Jessie Wheeler is Bridgeville historian, a member of the Senior Lunch Bunch and a volunteer with the Bridgeville Community Center. Her e-mail is pioneer@saber.net.