Carol:

Senior Egghunt was on April 2nd at the library and we had a record of over 40 people and the trolley was full!

Functional Fitness had a record number of seniors 42 with 3 new seniors attending.

The summer recreation guide was finalized and is sent off to Minuteman Press to be printed.

Sent out invoices to all the vendors for Drop In event.

Received donations from Starbucks for the SOLVE event, Dutch Bros gift cards for the Teen flashlight egghunt. Also received 6 Top Dog sponsor’s for Yappy Hour.

Amy:

– Exciting news in Sandy’s Community Gardens at Bornstedt Park 
Thanks to a grant offered by the Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District, we were able to install a number of native Oregon, pollinator friendly plants along the perimeter of the gardens!
Volunteers from the Sandy Rotary Club and some of the community gardeners worked hard to install these new plants and get the gardens looking fresh for the Spring/Summer season. Thank you to all the volunteers and the Sandy Rotary Club for helping to take care of this park amenity!

– The annual Teen Flashlight Egg Hunt happened on Friday, April 3 in Meinig Park.  $10 Dutch Bros gift cards were awarded to 8 lucky teens that found the “golden eggs!”

The middle school egg hunt (grades 6 – 8) took place at 8:00 pm.
The high school egg hunt (grades 9 -12) took place at 8:45 pm.

This event was a collaboration between the Sandy Public Library and Sandy Parks and Recreation.

– Coordinated a lot of details for Sandy’s Summer Softball League, including having an umpire and coaches meeting, updating the rules for the season, and creating the schedule of games. Games start the end of May!

– Held the Spring Bee City USA Action Group.

– Hosted a Bee City USA themed Clay Class in the Sandy and Community Center. We made bee houses, insect watering stations, and other pollinator themed decorative items.

– Hosted the SOLVE It In Sandy clean-up event to celebrate Earth Day! We had a small, but mighty force of volunteers clean up the streets and parks of Sandy. 

– Hosted a guest speaker for Native Plant Month (April!). She talked about all of the amazing Oregon native plants and insects in this area. 

– Planted some native trees and bushes in Tupper Park for Arbor Day. We also partnered with Neighborhood Forest to give away over 50 trees to local families. 

Caroleana:

Caroleana had over 236 senior related calls this month.   

The center had 3 new clients and 5 Reassessments for current clients; which involved a home visit with each client and a completed NAPIS form for Clackamas County.   

We continued to hold congregate lunches on Tuesday.  In the month of April we served on 4 Tuesday, with a total of 83 meals served in the month.   Those who attended senior lunch service donated $120 towards the nutrition program for the month of April.  

For Energy Assistance in April, Caroleana helped with 2 applications for the winter program.  She received multiple calls for energy assistance even though the Clackamas County Energy Assistance summer program doesn’t start until May.

Caroleana started to prepare her files for the end of the fiscal year, cleaning up client files and tracking annual reports needed.  

Sent out thank you letters to all the businesses that sponsored and supported the March for Meals campaign.  

Attended a workshop hosted by ORPA, SOAR chapter.  Heard from Professor of Gerontology at Western Oregon University on Evidence Based Brain Health Programming ideas; which was very engaging and applicable to the work we do at the center with our older adult population.  As well, we heard from Oregon DHS on how they can help us help others. 

Helped coordinate and host Mt Hood Hospice and SongCare from the Sandy River Threshold singers.

Future Events

Continued planning and communicating with businesses for the Senior Resource Fair in May with 17 valuable vendors confirmed.  

Marc:

Senior Trips:

• Hike & Lunch – Sandy River Beach Trail and Troutdale Station Food Carts – 7 people
  
• Goodwill and Happy Valley Station Food Carts – 9 people
• Dine out at McCools Pub and Grill in Happy Valley – full bus
• Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival at the Portland Expo Center – 9 people
• Hike & Lunch – Rock Creek Greenway in Bethany and PF Chang’s in Hillsboro – 8 people
• Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City – full bus with a waitlist
• Dine out at Red Lobster in Gresham – full bus with a waitlist

Meals on Wheels:

• 802

Oregon Recreation & Parks Association:

•  Attended their Growing Well Together Workshop at the Lake Oswego Adult Community Center.

Chelsea:

• Assisted with processing invoices related to various park projects.
• Updated the center TV with the most updated flyers and information. 
• Continued to monitor the budget for Deer Pointe Park and the Meinig Park Renovations
• Posted the Invitation to Bid for the Meinig Park Improvements, along with building a bid webpage, and advertising the invitation to bid in multiple publications. 
• The invitation to bid went live April 21st. I’ve sent the Invitation to bld information out to inquiring parties and kept track of all interested in the plan holders list. On April 28th we held a pre-bid meeting. I assisted by drafting an Agenda, printing documents, and creating a sign in sheet. 
• Park rentals and center rentals are continuing to pick up.
• Communicated with the Bornstedt House property manager to collaborate on repairs during a change in tenants. Repairs were completed late April and we’re hopeful to get new tenants soon. 
• Printed Park rental schedules for the parks team.
• Submitted the 1200c application to DEQ for Meinig.
• Requested a quote for Erosion and control Inspections for Meinig. 
• Created and had professionally printed signs for the upcoming construction at Meinig. We also got signs printed that recognize the work of the SEP at Tickle Creek Trail. 
• Helped proof the summer recreation guide. 
• Created a flyer for Deer Pointe Park and 4th of July. I also drafted upcoming building closure signs for upcoming holidays. 
• Created, printed, and distributed the May/June Senior newsletter.

John:

Fee Schedule Review
Completed a comprehensive review of standard fees for both indoor and outdoor rental spaces in preparation for the upcoming fiscal year. Updates ensure alignment with current usage, market conditions, and operational costs.

Clackamas County Senior Services Coordination
Participated in the quarterly meeting with Senior Center Managers across Clackamas County. Discussions focused on the fiscal outlook for the upcoming year, particularly related to state and federal funding for senior services, including nutrition, transportation, education-based exercise programs, energy assistance, and case management.
Additionally, we received and amended our Meals on Wheels contract, securing additional funding to support program operations through the remainder of the fiscal year.

Library Partnership & Community Engagement
Collaborated with the library during its annual kids event by leading an interactive activity station. Participants created percussion shakers using plastic eggs and engaged in a hands-on music experience.
Also participated in volunteer appreciation event planning, contributing to updates in logistics and event structure for this year.
Completed the final round of staff training to ensure library personnel are confident and prepared to safely operate within the mobile library environment.

Event Planning – “The Longest Day Parkway”
Initiated planning and coordination for the annual “Longest Day Parkway” event. Efforts included site coordination, route planning, collaboration with external agency partners, and cross-departmental communication.
This event highlights Sandy’s parks and neighborhoods by temporarily closing streets to allow families to roll, stroll, and ride safely. Attendees can stop at various City department booths to learn about services, participate in activities, and receive community resources.

Parks & Facilities:

 Planted two dogwood trees and six shrubs at Tupper Park in recognition of Arbor Day.
 Completed seasonal cleanup of planting beds at the Veterans Memorial.

 Pressure-washed park shelters in preparation for increased seasonal use.
 Replanted areas impacted by construction from the Jonsrud Camera installation project.

 Charged and inspected irrigation systems; completed necessary repairs.

 Coordinated with an electrician to repair outlets damaged in a vehicle accident at the
plaza and replaced affected street trees.

 Tiana attended the Oregon Recreation and Park Association Directors Retreat.

Upcoming Important dates:

May 1st – May 19th- As a member of Bee City USA, Sandy is encouraging citizens to take the pledge to Go Lights Out for the Spring! By reducing sky glow, we can help migrating birds (one of our many pollinator groups) to make it to their destinations safely.

From hummingbirds and warblers to sparrows and geese, millions of birds migrate across North America every year, covering hundreds to thousands of miles. Most of these birds, some that weigh as little as half an ounce, make this remarkable and perilous journey at night, visualizing the magnetic pull of the earth and using the moon and stars to set their course. As migrating birds pass over brightly lit cities, sky glow drowns out the stars, confusing them and luring them into urban areas.

Once you take the Lights Out pledge, you can take steps to follow best practices at home:
Turn off your outdoor lights when you’re not using them.
Ensure that your outside lights aim down and are well-shielded.
Install motion sensors on your outside lights so that they’re only on when needed.
Choose warm bulbs (3,000 Kelvins or under) when converting outdoor lights to LED.
During migration seasons, draw your blinds or curtains to reduce light spill.

Peak migration in the Spring is April 15-May 19 so please consider taking the pledge and implementing some of these changes in your home.

Take the Lights Out pledge and learn more here: https://birdallianceoregon.org/our-work/protect/habitat-and-wildlife/urban/reducing-wildlife-hazards/bird-safe-building/lights-out/take-the-pledge-to-go-lights-out/?fbclid=IwY2xjawRU0ZlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFoUkplamZ5ZktOTDloZFdhc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHmYOIA0HvD8u2tqMjQWLO3tS5Q_zY6uDR-SxNhVYq1b7y5Tt2zmjCFuLBSn__aem_S9M8ok3j3losOxoeUr-8_w

PS. Want to get detailed data about the migrating birds? Check out this website to learn how many birds migrated over Clackamas County last night, what type of birds are migrating in this area and much more information: https://dashboard.birdcast.info/region/US-OR-005

May 12th- Senior resource Fair 10am-1pm

May 13 Meinig Park Invitation to Bid opening

May 14th- Yappy Hour at Bluff Park!

May 20th- The Sandy Bee City Action Group is pleased to invite you to a FREE screening of “The Little Things That Run The World” Wednesday, May 20th (World Bee Day!) at the Clackamas County Bank Theater (38935 Pioneer Blvd)! Doors open at 5:45pm and the film will start at 6:00pm.

World Bee Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to our ecosystem. If you have further questions about the event, please call Amy at the Sandy Community Center at (503) 668-5569.

June 18th- Longest Day Parkway at Deer Pointe Park

June 27th- Noah’s Quest at Bluff Park