Senior center members help raise $12,000 for new building

Posted 12/10/19

Statistically speaking, it’s pretty likely that you saw Rosemary Reno and her helpers out selling raffle tickets around Powell.

There are less than 12,000 people living in and around …

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Senior center members help raise $12,000 for new building

Posted

Statistically speaking, it’s pretty likely that you saw Rosemary Reno and her helpers out selling raffle tickets around Powell.

There are less than 12,000 people living in and around Powell and yet the group of women sold well over 2,000 tickets for the Third Annual Winner Take-All Raffle. They raised roughly $12,000 toward a new Powell Senior Citizens Center.

So how exactly does a person sell that many $5 tickets?

“A lot of time is the secret,” said Reno. “A lot of time and determination.”

It also took a lot of help: Reno, Linda Smith, Elaine Bushey, Angela Zamudio and others spent more than three months doggedly hawking tickets at places like Blair’s Market, Mr. D’s Food Center, Murdoch’s, Ace Hardware and WYOld West Brewing Company.

“It was very much appreciated,” Reno said of all the businesses who allowed them to set up shop.

Reno created the winner-take-all raffle a couple years ago, raising $4,000 for a package of adventure experiences. Last year, a big package of gift certificates to area restaurants — covering some 60 meals — drew $6,000.

But Reno was determined to raise at least $10,000 for this year’s package.

It included: an alpaca farm tour, passes to movies, museums, ski areas, haircuts, a massage, rounds of regular and miniature golf, a horseback ride, trips to the rodeo, two rounds of trap shooting, river rafting, swimming in hot springs, a gym membership and a decorative candle. (The prizes went to Dan Dalton of Powell, who had the winning ticket.)

Reno and her helpers wound up hitting her five-figure goal a week before the Nov. 22 drawing — but they didn’t stop there, selling another $2,000 worth of tickets to put the final figure at around $12,000.

“It can be done,” Reno said. “If you make up your mind to do something, you can do it; if you’re willing to make sacrifices for it, you can do anything you want to.”

Powell Senior Citizens Center Director Cathy Florian — who’s helping lead the drive for a new senior center — was appreciative of the women’s efforts.

“We really try to acknowledge anything and everything,” she said, adding that the raffle delivered a “really nice” boost to the plans for a bigger building.

A groundbreaking is still perhaps three years away.

“We’re getting our diagrams done with our architect and at the same time still trying to get funding and grants and looking at different projects. So it’s all a work in progress, but we’re moving forward.”

Currently, center officials and volunteers serve lunch to between 70 and 80 people at the North Gilbert Street center and at the Rocky Mountain Manor each weekday — with another 80 or so meals delivered to seniors’ homes around the Powell area.

The task is difficult, Florian said, but the center wants to serve as many senior citizens as possible. In fact, with many regulars in their 80s, she’s made an effort to recruit younger seniors, in their 60s.

The work may only get more daunting, as Wyoming is projected to become one of the oldest states over the next 10 years.

“We’re being told that we’re growing,” Florian said, adding, “That again just tells us that we do need a new center.”

Anyone who wants to contribute to the project can contact Florian at 307-754-4223 or cflorian@tctwest.net. Every little bit helps, she said.

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