The Buzz - Foothills Center

Foothills Community Center

5.0 (3)
NON-PROFIT

Foothills Community Center is a nonprofit gathering place keeping the local community young at heart. We produce a printed monthly magazine (The Livewire), a weekly e-newsletter (The Spark) and now this podcast (The Buzz). Learn about our wide range of activities and events, meet our members, and learn how you can support our important community resource.

FEB 23

Episode 12: Darlene Backlund

Darlene Backlund moved to the Wenatchee Valley in the fall of 2024 to be closer to family, but that hasn't slowed down her passion for staying fit. She has won hundreds of race walking competitions around the world, and most recently won the USATF Masters Half Marathon Race Walk in the age 80-84 category in Santee, CA. Darlene joined Foothills Community Center to build her own network of friends and quickly become involved in our Walking Group that meets at Pybus Public Market.

24 min
12/09/2025

Episode 11: Colonial Vista Penthouse Tour

Stevie Knemeyer, Director of Sales at Colonial Vista Senior Living, gives a tour of their penthouse suite. The 10,000 sq. ft. living quarters was the home of the founders, Carl and Betty Campbell. The Campbells were pioneers in developing the modern concept of retirement living communities and brought this concept nationwide. The staff at Colonial Vista have kept the penthouse intact with it's original colors and patterns... it's like taking a trip back into the 1970s! Since this podcast is a video tour, we highly suggest that you view it with the video, either on Spotify at wvsac.link/buzz-penthouse or on YouTube at wvsac.link/buzz-yt-penthouse.

16 min
12/04/2025

Episode 10: Coloring Group with Carol Prag

The Coloring Group is one of the newest activities that has started at our community center. It's one of our most diverse groups with people of all ages and abilities coming together to work on their art skills and socialize. Carol Prag started the group about a year and a half ago, and since then it continues to grow. Carol is from Leavenworth and is a retired business owner. She became involved in art activities over the years as a way to relax. The group meets on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. and is free for our members. They currently meet in the Coffee Bar area of our Social Hall.

17 min
12/03/2025

Episode 9: Mary Jinneman, 99 Year Old Ping Pong Wizard

Mary Jinneman was one of the founding members of the ping pong group at the Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center. At age 99, she still has a pretty mean serve! She enjoys playing ping pong to keep active and socialize. Unfortunately, during the COVID-19 pandemic and closure, our thrift shop needed extra space and took over the Golden Apple Room where the ping pong tables were stored. We won't have room to host the group again until we are able to raise the funds to expand our building. The group moved to the Eastmont Community Center building on Georgia Street in East Wenatchee and meets every Friday morning from 9 - 11 a.m. We look forward to the day when we can invite them back to play here on Maple Street.( Apologies for the poor quality of the audio in this episode. I wanted to record with the ping pong group playing in the background and didn't anticipate just how loud they would be! I did my best in post-processing to remove some of the noise, but wasn't entirely successful. - Russ Alman)

22 min
11/18/2025

Episode 8: Bella Martinez, Kitchen Volunteer

Bella Martinez has been a volunteer in our Senior Nutrition program for four years. She originally came to us through the Transitions program in the Wenatchee School District, but she enjoyed volunteering for us so much that she came back to help us on her own time. For more information on the Wenatchee Valley Community Transitions Program, visit wenatcheeschools.org/transitions/

13 min
11/13/2025

Episode 7: Meet Your Board Members - Steve Kaster

Dr. Steve Kaster has been a member of our board of directors for over 12 years and is also an active volunteer in our senior nutrition program. Hear what he has to say about our new name change, building expansion needs and suggestions to help seniors stay in control of their health.

35 min
10/08/2025

Episode 6: Erin Cass, Board Member Director A

As part of our Meet the Board Members series, Russ Alman interviews Erin Cass, who holds the Director A position. Erin has worked with many nonprofits in the Wenatchee Valley in a variety of roles and currently operates her own business called Health Aging. Listen to this episode to find out more about Erin's vision for the Senior Center.

22 min
10/06/2025

Episode 5: Albuquerque, Big Giving Week and the Secret Word

Russ Alman talks with Lydia Agidius, Program Director, from her hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Lydia is chaperoning a trip as part of our Travel Program to attend the 2025 Balloon Fiesta. Lisa Blair, Executive Director, outlines our upcoming Big Giving Week coming up in mid-October. And watch the podcast to find the Secret Word -- the first person to email Russ at russ@wenatcheeseniorcenter.com with the word will receive an early bird pass to our Second Chance Thrift Shop's Christmas Cottage, plus a $50 gift certificate!

17 min
09/12/2025

Episode 4: Meet Your Board Members - Jim Tarbert

This interview was conducted on August 8, 2025, prior to the announcement of our Renaming Contest that ran from August 15-31 and before we officially started The Buzz. However, we still wanted to share this with you as part of our series of interviews to meet our board members. Jim Tarbert was elected chairman of the board earlier this summer has also acted as the head of our building expansion committee. He is one of the key reasons we have made significant progress towards creating plans and raising funds for our building expansion and renovation.

24 min
09/11/2025

Episode 3: Dementia Workshop

Mandy Ketcham, CDP is a dementia support specialist for Highgate Senior Living. According to Mandy, over 80% of the population is directly affected by someone with dementia, yet the condition is widely misunderstood. Mandy is hosting a workshop at the Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center on Friday, September 26, 2025. The seminar will provide hands-on learning, practical insights and valuable take-away opportunities to help participants better understand and help those living with the condition. The event is open to the public but registration is required. Please contact Amanda Molvin at wenatchee.crc@highgateseniorliving.com or visit https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C054EA9A92EA4FCC34-58353402-training

27 min
09/09/2025

Episode 2: Meet Your Board Members - Marco Martinez

The first of our series of interviews with WVSAC board members. Marco Martinez is now in his second year serving on our board of directors in one of the at large positions.

18 min
07/31/2025

Episode 1: Live Weekend Dances w/ Mary Fran (Rough Cut)

Russ Alman interviews Mary Fran McClure, volunteer coordinator of the Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center's Sunday Dances. The dances are held from 2 - 4 p.m., feature local live bands, and are open to the public for people of all ages.

22 min

12 Episodes

5

out of 5

3 Ratings

Foothills Community Center is a nonprofit gathering place keeping the local community young at heart. We produce a printed monthly magazine (The Livewire), a weekly e-newsletter (The Spark) and now this podcast (The Buzz). Learn about our wide range of activities and events, meet our members, and learn how you can support our important community resource.

Creator

Foothills Community Center
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

12
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Foothills Community Center
Show Website

The Buzz - Foothills Center