Birch Grove was a busy place in April! Above: Alta McQuatters gave a very interesting presentation on her family’s roots in Cook County at the Senior Lunch on April 10. Many of her family members were on hand at the talk and Alta pointed to them as her reason for working to make the world a better place through volunteering in the community. They shared a bit of family history, this wonderful quilt made for Alta and her husband Gary. Left: On April 24, there was a full house and a lot of laughs with Sherrie Lindskog and friends. Sherrie is starting a “Laughter Group.” There wasn’t a glum face in the crowd.
West End native Alta McQuatters attracted a standing-room-only crowd at Senior Lunch at the Birch Grove Community Center on April 10 with a slide show presentation about her family’s roots here in Cook County. Whitesky Rock, overlooking Caribou Lake, is named after her grandfather Chief Whitesky. So far she has been able to trace her family back to the late 1800s and is continuing her research, so we hope she will come back again to fill us in. Alta ended her presentation by showing us the reason she is such an active volunteer in our community—to make the world a better place for her children and grandchildren.
On April 24, there was another full house and a lot of laughs with Sherrie Lindskog and friends. Sherrie is starting a “Laughter Group” and she tells us we were her first “gig.” Laughter has many benefits including reducing heart disease, helping you lose weight, and improving your breathing. It is a natural pain killer, helps you get a good night’s sleep and even makes you look young.
There were five members of Sherrie’s high school class in attendance, and we figure they must all laugh a lot, because they all look young! In true Birch Grove fashion, everyone was a good sport and joined in Sherrie’s laughter exercises. It worked! There wasn’t a poker face in the crowd. Thanks, Sherrie, we all need a little laughter in our lives.
As we move into May, we’d like to invite you to join our “Birch Grove Keeps Moving” Team. You can sign up on the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic website or email Patty at bgf@boreal.org, and she’ll sign you up. We’ll be logging our miles and minutes of exercise to see how many times Cook County can make it to New Orleans and back.
On Wednesdays there will be opportunities to exercise with a group with walking or Latin dancing, starting at 10:30 a.m. The dancing group has been growing each week. Join us for lots of laughter and aerobic fun. Some have done the steps sitting down. All abilities are welcome.
All Birch Grove Team members will receive a “Move It” pedometer. We’re also giving some away as prizes for the prize drawing open to all participants. Ginny Cooley won a prize in November—pool tickets.
On Tuesdays from June 18 to July 23 from 9:45 – 11:15 a.m., Ginger Weisser will be offering Beginner T’ai Chi Chih: Joy Through Movement for all ages and abilities at Birch Grove Center. We’ll be outdoors when possible. This series of 19 movements can be done by most, regardless of age or physical ability, requires no special equipment and can be done anywhere. Some of the benefits include improved range of motion, posture, balance, mental alertness/acuity and joy of spirit!
The cost is $50, but there are scholarships available for seniors, thanks to a grant from Arrowhead Electric Cooperative, Inc. You can register by calling Patty at 663-7977 and leaving a message or emailing bgf@boreal.org.
Virginia Cooley and “Grandpa” Lyle Gerard meet every Wednesday afternoon for conversational Spanish after Lyle reads to the kids. This is an enjoyable time for both: Ginny gets to speak her home language, and Lyle gets to practice his Spanish-speaking skills.
All of us at the Birch Grove Center would like to wish Karl Smit a speedy recovery from his heart surgery.
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