​Archuleta Seniors Inc. Celebrates & Thanks 50 Plus Volunteers
Friday, August 25, 2023 was an evening of celebration and giving thanks for the fifty plus volunteers and their families that joined the staff of Archuleta Seniors Inc and their board of directors for dinner and a presentation to thank them for their countless hours of support that makes the organization so meaningful to so many in Archuleta County. During 2022, volunteers provided an estimated 2,500 hours in kitchen/administrative tasks, delivering meals, providing for games/activities and fundraising.
ASI’s mission is “To promote independence and advance community resilience by empowering individuals who are 60 years old and better, their families, and other community stakeholders.” The organization and its programming work directly to improve the wellbeing of older adults and the community in areas widely considered to be social determinants of health – nutrition security, social connections, physical/built environment and housing – and access (transportation) to services.
ASI provides a safety net for those who can quickly find themselves living in peril, providing home-cooked quality meals, supplemental nutrition (e.g. “Boost”), at-home wellness checks and monitoring devices, educational workshops and resources/materials, and congregate social activities. Assisting all individuals in need ages 55+ years, the desired outcomes for this work are for at-risk older adults to:
o Remain in their homes
o Have regular and reliable nutritional sustenance, and access/referrals to other resources meeting basic needs
o Retain physical and emotional wellness, and
o Establish/sustain social connectedness.
Further, ASI provides access/referrals for caregivers of at-risk older adults to various supports that sustain them in their caregiving role. No other organization in the community provides similar daily services.
Chef Cynthia Sperry devised a delicious Greek themed menu celebrating the heart healthy, nutritious and delicious mediterranean fare including the following menu for appetizer roasted red pepper hummus with garlic naan bread and stuffed grape leaves, salad of mixed greens with red bell pepper, onion, kalamata olives, cucumber, heirloom tomatoes, artichoke hearts and feta cheese, for the main course yogurt marinated Greek chicken, spanakopitas, lemon orzo and tzatziki sauce; vegetarian meal centered a giant stuffed portabella mushroom and for desert a pistachio baklava cheesecake all made in house for our guests.
Executive director Rose Chavez welcomed and thanked volunteers while staff Barbara Noriega and Janet Monks provided the guests with some short anecdotes made by the volunteers who had shared about why they are so motivated to volunteer with ASI. Of note were a few volunteers that have been with the organization for almost 20 years that were acknowledged and thanked for their selfless services for so many years. In reflecting on the past year, Archuleta Seniors Inc. is exceedingly grateful for all the support received from within and beyond the community, ensuring continued provision of critical services while positioning the organization for planned expansion of programming in coming months. All the guests enjoyed mingling with each other, enjoying beverages, dinner and dessert. Archuleta Seniors Inc. could not be of service in this community without our volunteers and community members supporting us every step of the way. We are blessed to do the work we do and call Pagosa home. Thank you community and please don’t hesitate to reach out if you or someone you know is in need of our services or you would like to volunteer. Please contact us at 970.264.2167 or stop by the Pagosa Senior Center at 451 Hot Springs Blvd. in the Ross Aragon Community Center. .

​You may be wondering why we made a special Thanksgiving meal in August…we are so Thankful!!! Late last year the Area Agency on Aging in S.W.Colorado informed us that we had been selected to receive funds through the American Resue Plan Act (ARPA) to purchase a growing dome for our senior center! We purchased an existing 42’dome on the Growing Spaces campus and have hired an amazing horticulturist named Kelle Bruno who has this gift of growing fresh organic food! Here’s some pictures of the dome and our first veg planning session. Other Colorado towns receiving growing domes through the AAA of SW CO are Towaoc, Ignacio and Silverton. Thank you to Christina Knoell AAA and the Biden Administration!