Almost a year has gone by since COVID-19 took over the nation’s headlines, and your Shipley Center has not been immune from its effects. We have “fought back” in various ways  to continue to creatively and meaningfully pursue our mission to serve the seniors of our community.

Yes, we’ve been closed so far for most of the activities; but no, we are not down and out.

Yes, our employees were worried, but they have not had to stand in unemployment lines or look for other jobs. They have been flexible, and adapted to new roles and responsibilities, like working in the kitchen, manning the front desk, or being a “safety officer” for us, while maintaining good attitudes and a spirit of service to you.

Yes, it seems odd for members to meet and interact on ZOOM, and actually have fun together, but we are learning to do just that, in meditation, tai chi, and happy-hour gatherings.

We have continued to provide referrals for everything from tax preparation, to help with Medicare, Social Security and legal services; and have often stopped to just talk with a lonely senior who calls or drops by.

For a short time, through generous donations, we even helped those in need of something as basic as TP!

It seems the TP crisis has ended, but what about the rest of this ordeal we are living through? First off, we should be glad we are living through it, and not falling victim to it! Be thankful that all our social distancing, masks, and hand washing are buying time for what we hope will be effective therapeutic treatments and vaccines to be created and made available in the future.

Here is the “I’ve just gotta ask” part, so please bear with me.

While being closed for almost six months, we have chosen, on purpose, to not ask you for money up to this point. No big fundraising letters have gone out; no desperate pleas over the phone; no arm-twisting; no massive campaigns for cash. Despite that, some of you have enclosed extra dollars when paying your dues, and others have sent funds intuitively saying, “I thought you could use this money during this time.” THANK YOU! You are appreciated.

How Can You Help? A year ago in this column, I wrote about Five Ways to Make an Impact,  and will briefly list those five, plus one more. If you find yourself in a position to help, here they are:

1. Have you taken the “RMD” from your IRA yet? Ask us or your IRA trustee about how to do a tax-free QMD, or “Qualified Charitable Distribution” to Sequim Senior Services.
2. Donations of Property. Have you heard those catchy musical ads for donating your car, RV, or even Real Estate to Kars for Kids on the radio? Well, why not consider Shipley Center for such a gift? Call me for info.
3. Donate your coin, rare currency, bullion, or stamp collection! We have an eBay account and can list coins, stamps, precious metals, etc. We will take care of marketing and shipping the items.
4. MGM (Members Giving Monthly) Club. Sign up for automatic donations, and even a small amount adds up to a large gift! Choose any amount: $10, $20, $25, $50, or even $100 per month.
5. The 5% Solution. If all our members would put Shipley Center as beneficiary for just 5% to 10% of their estates, we probably would not have to ever raise money again! Please consider putting your senior center in your will! We appreciate the wonderful legacies that R. Leo Shipley, Shirley Foss, Peggy Moon Anderson, Janice Seller — and this year, Fred Chan and Helen Whitney — have left to help continue our valuable work.
6. The “one more” that did not exist last year — If it truly is extra money to you, please consider donating a portion of your COVID-19 IRS stimulus check that will most likely be going out again in the near future.

Thank you so much for your continued and loyal support of your Center! You are Amazing; and together, we will make it through this unusual time!

Sincerely,
Michael