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Midvale Journal

Residents Support Midvale Senior Center At Annual Spaghetti Dinner

Dec 07, 2015 08:12AM ● By Amanda Butler

By Amanda Butler

Midvale - A rainy evening couldn’t dampen spirits at the Midvale Advisory Committee’s Annual Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser. The dinner was held to support the Midvale Senior Center. The event was held on Oct. 29, and featured entertainment, door prizes, a raffle drawing and a silent auction. 

The event offered community members a chance to get together and reminisce. Many in attendance were longtime residents of Midvale, who swapped stories about the city’s history over spaghetti, breadsticks, salad and cookies. Pianist Richard Stevenson delighted the crowd with live music while people discussed everything from the Harvest Days festivals of past years to what they like about the center.

Maritza Suarez De Gonzales called the center a “great place that is open to all seniors,” and said she lives nearby and comes every day. “It is a beautiful place, and the people who work here are excellent.”

This was the first time that the dinner was held in the new center, which opened in July 2015. Many of those in attendance at the dinner have found the same sense of community in the new center that they did in the older, smaller building it replaced. 

“I’ve been coming to the senior center for six years,” Beatriz LaCallo said. “I like the knitting group where I can be around other women.”

Blanca Guerrero agreed. “The center is a great place for me. I live close by and come every day to exercise.”

Julie Goldman, a Midvale city employee and fellow member of the knitting group, came to the dinner to show her support for the center. 

“I’m glad they have such a wonderful senior center,” she said. “The people here are very friendly and welcoming.”

Door prizes included gift baskets, craft items and gift certificates for car washes. The raffle prize was a large basket of candy. Silent auction items included craft items and holiday gift baskets.

The event was a great success, with over 100 tickets sold. All the proceeds from the evening directly benefitted the senior center. 

The event was sponsored by the Midvale Mining Café, which provided the spaghetti and sauce; Golden Corral, which provided the salad; Atria, and Western Stairlifts.

The senior center is located at 7550 South Main Street in Midvale, and is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Bus service is available for those who need a ride, and can be scheduled by calling 801-560-8201.

The senior center “offers a comprehensive range of programs to enlighten, educate and enrich the lives of adults age 60 and over.” These programs include arts, crafts and choir, as well as health and physical activity classes. The center also has a workout room with a weight machine and several stationary exercise machines. The Copper Café, located inside the senior center, offers breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The café is open to the public and is operated by valley services.

The senior center is looking for volunteer instructors to teach classes at the center. Those with a talent or skill they’d be interested in sharing can call 385-468-3350 and ask to speak with Ken Donarski or Amy Hackett.