Archives - 2023

February 2023

Sun Senior News
by Sandi Dolbee

As 2023 unfolds, our eyes turn to dates. No, not the fun kind of dates or the ones you can eat. We’re talking calendar dates.

Let’s begin with our next big event date: Feb. 25, when we are planning for a gathering in true — though belated — Mardi Gras style.

Another date for club members to keep in mind: May 6. That’s when we are planning for an afternoon member-mixer (we’ll have to work hard to top last year’s catered BBQ). And Dec. 9 will be the annual holiday dance.

Then there are the summer biannual business meetings: Steering Committee on July 15 and general membership on July 29. And there’s much more to come.

A new year also is a time for looking back. Based on one unofficial tally, attendance at our activities, meetings and other gatherings last year (from organized outings, to drop-in coffees and other events) added up to roughly 600, which is not bad considering that’s six times our membership.

Finally, by the time you read this, we will have some new leadership, courtesy of an election scheduled for late January (more on that in next month’s edition). Lavender Friends is a club for LGBTQ residents and their supporters.

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January 2023

Sun Senior News
by Sandi Dolbee

Twenty-seven with one on the way. That’s the number of new members who joined Lavender Friends in 2022, according to a tally by Sara Vega, our membership chair.

In farming terms, you might say it’s a bumper crop — and it’s kept her pretty busy. As new members join, Sara hosts meet and greets in her home to hear more about them, talk a little about the club and introduce our president, Marilyn Kupcho. She has another gathering planned for this month.

One of our club’s main commissions is to provide social activities and events for our members and guests. To that end, as we emerged from the pandemic last year there was a parade of outings — from visiting back-country wineries and trying out local restaurants to getting up close and personal with a fascinating mandarin ranch in Penryn. We ended the year on two annual high notes: our Turkey Trot, when we gather to walk one of our beautiful trails on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and our December dinner-dance, which as of this writing was on target to draw upwards of 100 people.

Lavender Friends is a club of LGBTQ residents — and their allies. Allies are what we call men and women who join the club to show their support. “It’s a measure of acceptance that is so important to us,” says Sara. It’s also a reminder that we all are part of the same community.

And we aren’t done yet. We will officially kick off the new year with a party later this month to celebrate each other and usher in 12 more months of adventures that bring us together and provide new opportunities to give back.

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