Episode 20: Keith Kirkpatrick

Jeff Gomes is one of our new board members this year. As an active community member in the Wenatchee Valley and the former mayor of Cashmere, Jeff brings us a wealth of experience working with all levels of government and managing large municipal development projects. He's looking forward to leveraging his experience to help us reach our goal of

Keith Kirkpatrick is one of our newest board members at Foothills Community Center. He is also an active volunteer, helping in our nutrition program and with general maintenance. Keith has lived in Wenatchee for over 40 years. After retiring in 2017 from Colonial Vista Retirement Community, he became increasingly involved with Foothills Community Center and eventually was asked to join the board.

David Belcher started what was the Friendship Brigade during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to stay in touch with people the community. Now called Friendship Bridge, the concept is spreading across the country, with kids and adults of all ages creating and sharing hand-written greeting cards with senior groups. Friendship Bridge meets at Foothills Community Center on the first and third Thursday of every month from 1 to 3 p.m. The group is always looking for more participants, as well as donated, hand-made and store-bought greeting card donations.

Stephanie Snitily, Regional Immunization Coordinator with the Chelan-Douglas Health District, discusses the vaccines available to help adults over 50 stay healthy as they age.

Shannon Port, Second Chance Thrift Shop manager, discusses a number of topics, including the need for paid employees and volunteers, donation quality and how items are priced. The Thrift Shop is located at the rear of the Foothills Community Center Building. It is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. Donations are accepted 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on weekdays in Suite D, on the right side of the Community Center building.

The Chelan Public Utility District (Chelan PUD) has revamped their discount program, increasing the amount to 25% and greatly expanding who will qualify. Cathy Melton, Customer Service Program Analyst for the PUD explains who will qualify and how to apply. You can apply for the program at https://f-cc.link/cpudpromise.

Frankie Fitzjarrald has been teaching line dancing classes for over 30 years in Arizona and Wenatchee. Her classes at Foothills Community Center (FCC) are extremely popular, with up to 40 people per class. FCC members can join her classes at no additional cost.

Zaylie Doll, Jaylee Hix and Isabella Schultz, sophomores at Eastmont High School, are competing in the upcoming Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) competition in Spokane in the event management category. They decided to create an intergenerational event at Foothills Community Center called Petals & Pals that allowed Eastmont students to visit the Center and build flower bouquets with the members. Thanks to assistance from Cindy Gonzales, owner of The Bloom Flowery in Downtown Wenatchee, the group was able to secure flowers for the event.

Nick Davis is a lifetime Wenatchee Valley resident and the son of orchardists. He recently become involved with the Foothills Community Center and is fired up about helping us as an ambassador and fundraiser.

Darlene Backlund moved to the Wenatchee Valley in the fall of 2024 to be closer to family, but that hasn't slowed down her passion for staying fit. She has won hundreds of race walking competitions around the world, and most recently won the USATF Masters Half Marathon Race Walk in the age 80-84 category in Santee, CA. Darlene joined Foothills Community Center to build her own network of friends and quickly become involved in our Walking Group that meets at Pybus Public Market.