ASCA Membership Meeting - the Amarillo Senior Citizens Association

ASCA Membership Meeting
Please join us on Wednesday, January 21 at 10:00 AM, in the ASCA Main Hall, for
our ASCA Membership Meeting. The monthly Board Meeting will also take place
the same day, January 21, at 9:00 AM in the North Seminar.
We will be discussing the very important topic of ASCA’s future, so we hope
everyone can attend. We look forward to seeing you there!
In This
Issue ...
• April Trip: Tunica, MS
& Memphis, TN
Page 6
• January Potluck
Page 6
• ASCA Financials
Page 7
• Quilt Raffle Winner
Page 8
• Health Benefits of
Pomegranates
Page 10
• Brain Boosters
Page 11
Saturday, January 17, 2015 • 7:00 - 11:00 PM
Amarillo Senior Citizens, Main Hall • 1220 S. Polk
Hors d’Oeuvres • Silent Auction • Live Music by the Khiva Swing Band
Individual Tickets: $25 • Couples: $45 • Table of Eight: $200
Please call the ASCA office at 374-5500 form more information.
Proudly brought to you by these generous sponsors:
The Clairmont Independent
Senior Living
Swinging Seniors
The Swinging Seniors line dancing group meets every
Tuesday and Friday in the ASCA Main Hall, from 9:30 a.m.
until 11:00 a.m. Please come by and join the fun!
Table Tennis
STOP!!! Eat Lunch
and play ping pong!
Table Tennis is now 3 times a week at
1:00 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Beginners and
advanced players alike - everyone is welcome, so please
come join us!
Games & More
Pictured: Janete Reese & Jessie Isbell. Not Pictured: Donna Haag.
Happy Birthday in January!
Shirley Nichols - January 3
ASCA Pool/Billiards Club
December Pool/Billiards Tournament
First Place - Rick Ware
Second Place - Ronnie Gordon
Please welcome the following new Officers of the ASCA
Pool/Billiards Club:
Don Sanders - President
James Jones - Vice President
Judith Evans - Secretary
Jerry Conner - Treasurer
Larry Harbin - Sergeant-at-Arms
Janey Hopson - January 17
Isabel Spiriti - January 31
“Now 2015”
Wind was blowing, it was snowing.
Stay warm and dry.
Time for new year, we’ve nothing to fear.
Come play with us, ASCA is near.
- RWP Reporter
Come and play table games. Hand & Foot, Samba, Joker
(marble game), Mexican Train, and Back Alley on Monday,
Tuesday, and Friday. We celebrate birthdays on the first
Friday of each month. We’d love to have you!
Come join the ASCA Pool Club, and see all the fun we
have! We would love to have you!
Please join us for lunch from 11:00 a.m. until 12:45 p.m.,
Monday through Friday. The price is now $5.50 for
everyone, so please come join us for some great food!!!
ASCA Bridge Club
HIGH SCORES FOR DECEMBER
9220
Joyce Webb / Duane Lintner (12/8)
8340
Grady Anne Jacob / Tres Tucker
GRAND SLAMS
Ginger Knight / Joyce Webb (11/29)
Joyce Webb / Duane Lintner (12/8)
Everyone has been so busy during the month of December.
With the start of the New Year, we hope things will settle
down. I’m sure we have all started our New Year’s diet and
exercise prigrams?!? Those ought to last maybe a week or
two, but good luck.
ASCA Bridge Club
Continued…
A number of our bridge players were spotted at the Broadway Holiday show. Better be careful where you hang out as
there are spotters all over.
The Winter Dance will be held on January 17th at 7:00 p.m.
with the “Khiva Swing Band”. Cost is $25 per person. Put
on your dancing shoes and join the fun!
Join your friends for lunch at ASCA. Only $5.50 for a wonderful meal.
“Don’t’ get all weird about getting older. Our age is merely
the number of years the world has been enjoying us!”
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY January births - Barbara Caldwell,
Claudine French, Jim Hrabal, Betty Higgins, Gloria
Leveque.
Our lucky winner of the “free play” for December was Bonnie Haney, and Sharon Harrison won the coveted Christmas
ornament. Wow, what luck!
Dominoes
Winners First Monday
Winners Last Wednesday
Flu season is here!! Be considerate of your partner, opponents, and the rest of your friends at ASCA Bridge.
Please, please do not come to play bridge if you have…
headache, fever, cough, or think you may be having a
bad allergy reaction. Remember the card tables are
small and germs spread easily. Also, do not cough and
cover your mouth with the cards.
Glynn Carver / Bob Noyes
Bill Sliter / Bob Noyes
Runners Up
Runners Up
Edna Faulkner / Jim Pope
Tom Nance / Glynn Carver
Several of our members have been “under the weather” and
we hope Gerry Davidson and Coral Walton will soon be
back at the bridge tables. Gerry had the flu and Coral had
gall bladder surgery. Some of our gals that went on the bus
trip to Branson came back not feeling well and we hope
they’re all back to their healthy selves.
Runners Up
Thanks go to Deborah Tardy and Sue Selman for providing
the meat for the marvelous Christmas Luncheon. There were
tons of sides and many hearty eaters. A good time was had
by all.
Winners Third Monday
Glynn Carver / Don Mulder
Tom Nance / Bill Sliter
Come and join us, we would love to have more players!!!
We play Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00
a.m. We also have three tournaments the 1st and 3rd Monday, and the last Wednesday.
ASCA Quilters
As we come to the end of 2014, we can look back at the year
with joy and sadness. Every year brings different things and
we never know until it happens. Day by Day. Just as a quilt
is made from a variety of colors, our lives are made by a
variety of happenings. We can take a quilt we have made,
unfold it, spread it out, and not only do we see the beautiful
quilt, but we also remember what was happening in our lives
as we made it. This quilt was made as I filled the time after
the death of my dad. This quilt was made with happiness for
my new granddaughter. This quilt was made as I set with a
friend as she recovered from chemo. This quilt was made in
honor of a new son-in-law joining our family. Each quilt has
its own story. Maybe the colors also vary as to whether it
was made in a time of joy or sadness. As our lives each day
is a piece added to our life’s quilt. Maybe it is a bright happy color, or maybe a black or grey in a time of despair. But
it still makes up our lives and who we are.
December is a fun-filled month for most, but there is also
sadness in families. This year has been a year of both for our
group. We have seen each other through by our regular
meetings, talking and quilting. We help each other and share
the joy and sadness.
We enjoyed a fun party on the 16th at Oletta’s house. Our
wonderful hostess not only offered her house for the party,
but also cooked the turkey and ham, and we all brought the
side dishes and desserts. Then we enjoyed a “Dirty Santa”
gift exchange. Just another of our fun times of being together.
Now we are all ready to begin the new year of 2015. We
anticipate a wonderful year with many fun times and beautiful quilts. We will support each other through whatever happens. Beacause quilting is an activity that not only brings
beautiful quilts together, but also friends.
ASCA Quilters
Continued…
Any time you stop by our quilting room, you will be welcomed and invited to join.
May each and everyone of you have a blessed and happy
2015!
“Quilting with friends will keep you in stitches!”
“42”
GOLDEN GIRLS
President, Sharon Goar: 570-6917
Meets every Tuesday and Thursday 12:30PM - 3:00PM
Meets every Monday 9:30AM - 11:00AM
Cost: $1.00 each time.
“88”
POKER CLUB
President, Joy Rainey: 359-3643
Meets every Wednesday 12:00PM - 3:00PM
Cost: $2.00 per month.
President, Ken Worsham: 418-4497
Wednesday: 2:00PM - 4:00PM
Cost: $1.00 each time. (Awards on Point System)
BINGO
POOL/BILLIARDS
Join us on Wednesdays at 10:00AM in the ASCA Main Hall.
Everyone is welcome! No dues or fees.
President, Don Sanders: 671-6155
Open to play any day and hours ASCA is open. Monthly
tournaments scheduled.
Cost: $3.50 per month (3-Month Min.), or $35 per year.
BRIDGE
President, Peggy Wesley: 355-8405
Meets Monday and Saturday 12:30PM - 3:30PM
Cost: $1.10 each time.
DOMINOES
President, Jim Pope: 373-5121
Meets every Monday - Friday 8:00AM - 11:00AM
No dues or fees except for tournaments.
DUPLICATE BRIDGE
President, Carolyn Blum: 359-5307
Meets Wednesday 1:00PM
Cost: $.50 each time.
EXERCISE
President, Charlene Cole: 463-1662
Meets Monday and Thursday 10:00AM - 11:00AM
Cost: $1.00 each time.
GAMES AND MORE
President, Phyllis Brant: 345-2358
Meets Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.
Monday: 12:00PM - Mexican Train, Hand & Foot, Back Alley
Tuesday: 12:00PM - Back Alley
Friday: 12:00PM - Samba, Hand & Foot
No dues or fees.
PUZZLE CORNER
Everyone is invited to stop by and put in a piece of the puzzle. No
dues or fees.
QUILTERS
President, Pauline Stone: 355-3557
Meets Tuesday and Friday 8:30AM - 2:30PM
SWINGING SENIORS
President, Margie Blades: 371-0262
Meets every Tuesday and Friday 9:30AM - 11:00AM
Cost: $1.00 each time. First 2 times in attendance are free.
TABLE TENNIS
Contact, Betty McSpadden: 359-0865
Meets every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 1:00 p.m.
Beginners and Advanced - Everyone is welcome.
Cost: $1.00 each time.
WEDNESDAY BRIDGE
President, Kay Mayo: 355-5653
Meets Wednesday 12:15PM - 4:00PM
BRANSON, MO.
POTLUCK DINNER
The first week in December 45 of us went on the Branson
Trip. On the way there we stopped in Oklahoma City to visit
the Memorial. Branson was full of Christmas decorations
and shows, which we all enjoyed. The shows we saw were
The Duttons, Irish Tenors, George Dyer, The Haygoods,
Jersey Nights, and Yakov Smirnoff, and an outstaning show
on the showboat “Branson Belle”. On the way home we
stopped at the Will Rogers Museum. What an interesting
man he was! Thankfully we didn’t get iced or snowed in, but
were wishing we could bring back some of the rain to Texas.
We had a wonderful Christmas dinner on December 17.
There were 150 people in attendance, and ASCA made
$759.00! To see all the photos from the lunch, please visit
our website at www.amarilloseniorcitizens.com, and click
the “Events” tab.
It’s time to get rested up and make plans for our next trip,
which will be to Memphis, TN on April 19 (see below).
Now’s the time to sign up for that trip. I hope you will join
me.
After dinner we will play bingo. If you have any bingo prize
contributions for bingo winners, please bring them to the
ASCA office. We will also continue to provide prizes as
well. We hope you can all come and enjoy!
- Mary Crow
DIAMOND TOURS: TUNICA & MEMPHIS
Amarillo Senior Citizens Presents… Tunica, MS - Casino
Capital of the South, & Memphis, TN - Home of the Blues!
Enjoy 7 days and 6 nights from April 19 - 25, 2015, for only
$525.00. This price includes:
* 6 nights lodging, including 4 consecutive nights at a
Tunica area Casino Resort *
* 10 meals: 6 Breakfasts & 4 dinners *
* Admission to GRACELAND *
* Admission to the TUNICA MUSEUM *
* Free Time on BEALE STREET in Memphis, TN *
* Guided Tour of Memphis *
$75.00 Due Upon Signing - Final Payment Due: 2/13/2015.
For more information, come by the ASCA office, or call
(806) 374-5500.
January’s Potluck/Bingo Dinner will be on the 19th. Please
bring a main dish, a side dish, salad or dessert, enough to
serve 10 people, for each person in your party. The cost will
be $5.50 for everyone who does not bring any food.
At the request of several of our members, a concise financial
report has been compiled and we are enclosing in this newsletter. If you have any questions please contact Betty
McSpadden or Janete Reese.
Membership Renewals
If your membership expires in January,
your $50/year dues are due no later than the
last day of the month. Please note: No
coupons or discounts will be accepted for
membership dues. Be sure to check on your
renewal date so you can keep enjoying the
fellowship, and all the exciting activities
ASCA has to offer.
DECEMBER NEW MEMBERS
Alvin H. Sharp
DECEMBER MEMORIAL DONATIONS
Mary Anne Johnson in Honor of Brian Rusk
MILLER’S CLEANERS
Quality Cleaning At Reasonable Prices
1100 S. Taylor, Amarillo, Texas
Phone 374 –1490
ASCA FINANCIALS
November 2014
YTD
INCOME
Contributions - Members
$2,270.00
$34,403.21
Contributions - Foundations
$0.00
$37,732.00
Contributions - Corporations
$50.00
$2,430.00
Internal Special Events
$2,802.20
$76,929.79
Club Contributions
$796.81
$10,696.75
Miscellaneous Income
$1,067.35
$16,386.05
Interest Income
$88.36
$3,638.86
Nutrition Program
$4,401.75
$40,857.28
TOTAL INCOME
$11,426.47
$223,483.29
TOTAL COST OF GOODS SOLD
$1,553.70
$52,976.72
GROSS PROFIT
$9,872.77
$170,506.57
Salaries & Wages
$8,555.02
$92,649.89
Payroll Deductions
$3,082.25
$15,007.42
Benefits
$157.09
$1,372.21
General & Admin. Expense
$0.00
$100.00
Management & General
$1,293.13
$29,223.39
Kitchen - General
$494.59
$6,085.61
Computer Support
$89.70
$1,258.99
Telephones
$0.00
$2,225.06
Postage
$436.00
$2,109.79
Facility
$2,255.41
$28,919.64
Automotive Expense
$0.00
$692.12
Office Supplies
$1,080.97
$6,552.75
Advertising
$0.00
$648.65
Misc. Expense
$25.00
$1,711.88
Special Events
$119.10
$44,563.45
TOTAL EXPENSE
$17,406.63
$231,723.72
NET INCOME
$-7,533.86
$-61,217.15
EXPENSE
CURRENT ASSETS
FBSW - Operating
$14,974.77
Amarillo National Bank (CD)
$100,000.00
Happy State Bank (CD - CDBG)
$131,986.77
Happy State Bank - CD
$50,093.02
Total Checking/Savings
$303,492.46
PAWSITIVELY SENIORS
CHRISTMAS QUILT RAFFLE WINNER
Pawsitively Seniors is a pet program that was created
through the pairing of domestic house cats and older small
adult dogs with senior citizens. Many of our pets we place
are abandoned in local shelters who contact us and we pull
them to place in our program. The Amarillo Panhandle
Humane Society has also been helping us by allowing us to
pull fixed cats and calling us when they have small altered
pets surrendered. Pawsitively Seniors interviews and will
place older cats or dogs with a senior citizen who may have
had a pet before, but can no longer afford the care of one on
their own. There may be many reasons a senior until now
couldn’t have a pet. If you know someone who could benefit using this program, please contact us.
Congratulations to Maxine McCullin who won the beautiful
quilt that was raffled off on
December 5.
One of our coordinators conducts an interview with the
senior citizen and finds the perfect match between the
senior’s lifestyle and personality and an older pet. Once the
pet is placed with the senior, the pet coordinator will call
monthly to check on the health of the pet, see if there are
any needs of either the pet or senior citizen and bring food
and litter if needed. This is all free of cost to the seniors in
the program. If a pet is in need of any medical care, the pet
is picked up and transported to a vet, also free of any charge
to the senior. If, at any time, the senior can no longer care
for the pet due to their own health issues, Critter Haven
picks up the pet and continues to care for him/her.
For more information, please contact:
Critter Haven • Judi Glidewell (806) 655-8444
The ASCA Quilters generously quilted and donated this to
ASCA to be raffled off as a
fundraiser.
COMPUTER CLASS VOLUNTEERS
We are in need of a volunteer to teach computer classes here
at ASCA. If anyone has computer experience, or knows
anyone with computer experience, we would love to have
you volunteer to teach the members of ASCA a computer
class. Please contact the office at 374-5500 for more information.
ASCA NUTRITION PROGRAM SURVEY
As part of the United Way funding reporting for the Senior
Nutrition Program, each participant has to be surveyed. So,
if you have eaten here at the Silver Grill, we ask that you
please fill out a survey. These surveys are ANONYMOUS,
and do not ask any personal questions regarding race or income. You can fill one out in the ASCA office, at the Silver
Grill, or online at www.amarilloseniorcitizens.com.
DID YOU KNOW...

… that celebrating the New Year is a tradition that dates
back nearly 4000 years? If you had lived in Mesopotamia and Babylon 4,000 years ago (c. 2000 B.C.), you
probably would have celebrated the new year in midMarch, at the time of the Vernal (Spring) Equinox. If,
however, you were an Egyptian, your new year began
with the Autumnal Equinox and the flooding of the Nile.
If you were Greek, the Winter Solstice began your new
year celebrations.

… that Julius Caesar was the first to set January 1st as
the New Year? Caesar did so when he established the
Julian calendar. The Julian calendar, named for Julius
Caesar, decreed that the new year would occur on January 1st. Caesar wanted the year to begin in January since
it celebrated the beginning of the civil year and the festival of the god of gates and, eventually, the god of all
beginnings, Janus, after whom January was named.

… that throughout the Southern United States, blackeyed peas are eaten every New Year's Day? As the story
goes, black-eyedpeas were used exclusively for cattle
feed in the old South. During the battle of Vicksburg
during the Civil War, the town was under siege for over
40 days. No supplies came in or out. Vicksburg was on
the edge of starvation. The people had no choice but to
eat those black-eyed peas, therefore starting a southern
tradition. Today, black-eyed peas are eaten every New
Year's Day to bring good luck for the new year.

… that the U.S. annually manufactures more than $475
worth of effervescent wines, including sparkling wines
and champagne? Champagne sales spike in the days
leading up to New Year's Eve, when the bubbly drink is
the most popular one at the bar.

… that when Americans ring in the New Year on January 1st, more than 303 million people are projected to be
living in the United States?
DID YOU PICK UP THE WRONG COAT?
Please look in your closet! Someone has accidentally taken a
different jacket and left theirs here!! Yours is big on me. It is
my only winter jacket, so please bring it to the senior citizens center anytime during the week and exchange it for
yours. I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank You, Marty Reef, (806) 356-7067
What Are the Health Benefits of Eating Pomegranates?
Pomegranate fruit is one of the most popular, nutritionally rich fruit with unique flavor,
taste, and heath promoting characteristics. Along with sub-arctic pigmented berries and
some tropical exotics such as mango, it too has novel qualities of functional foods, often
called as “super fruits.” Botanically, it is a small size fruit-bearing deciduous tree belonging within the Lythraceae family, of genus:Punica. The fruit is thought to originate
in the Sub-Himalayan range of North India.

It is a good source of soluble and insoluble dietary fibers, providing about 4 g per 100 g (about 12% of RDA), which aid in
smooth digestion and bowel movements.

The fruit is suggested by nutritionists in the diet for weight reduction and cholesterol controlling programs. Regular inclusion of fruits in the diets boosts immunity, improves circulation, and offers protection from cancers.

Regular consumption of pomegranate has also been found to be effective against prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), diabetes, and lymphoma.

Further, it is an also good source of many vital B-complex groups of vitamins such as pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5), folates, pyridoxine and vitamin K, and minerals like calcium, copper, potassium, and manganese.

The fruit is an also good source of antioxidant vitamin-C, provides about 17% per 100 g of daily requirement.
Pomegranate Poached Pears (Courtesy of: Eating Well)
4 ripe, firm Bosc pears
1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
1 cup sweet dessert wine, such as Muscatel or Riesling
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds, (1/2 large fruit; see Tip)
1. Peel pears, leaving them whole and stems intact. Slice off the bases so the pears will stand upright. Use
an apple corer to remove cores, if desired, working from the base up.
2. Place the pears on their sides in a large saucepan or small Dutch oven. Pour pomegranate juice and wine over the pears. Bring to a
simmer over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until the pears are tender when pierced with the tip of a
sharp knife, 30 to 45 minutes. Turn very gently once or twice as they cook so they color evenly. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pears
to a shallow bowl and set aside.
3. Boil the poaching liquid over high heat until the sauce is reduced to 1/2 cup, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. To serve, spoon 1 tablespoon sauce onto each of 4 dessert plates. Place a pear upright on each plate. Drizzle remaining sauce over
each pear and sprinkle pomegranate seeds around it.
Tip: Fill a large bowl with water. Hold the pomegranate in the water and slice off the crown. Lightly score the fruit into quarters, from
crown to stem end. Keeping the fruit under water, break it apart, gently separating the plump seeds from the outer skin and white
pith. The seeds will drop to the bottom of the bowl and the pith will float to the surface. Discard the pith. Pour the seeds into a colander. Rinse and pat dry.
The numbers in the circles added together makes the number in the linking rectangle. Find the missing numbers in
this puzzle. The answers are below.
ASCA
Amarillo Senior Citizens Assoc.
(Physical Address)
1220 S. Polk, Amarillo, TX 79101
(Mailing Address)
1217 S. Tyler, Amarillo, TX 79101
806-374-5500 Fax 877-379-8028
www.amarilloseniorcitizens.com
MARK YOUR CALENDAR • JANUARY 2015
ASCA Board of Directors 2015
• ASCA’s Winter Wonderland Dance fundraiser will be
on January 17, at 7:00 PM in the Main Hall. There will
be live music, dancing, food, and a silent auction!
PRESIDENT: Lloyd Carter
VICE PRESIDENT: Carla O’Brien
ASST. TREASURER: Betty McSpadden
SECRETARY: Jeannine Bewley
DIRECTOR EMERITUS: Charlene Cole
• ASCA’s Annual Membership Meeting will be on January 21, in the Main Hall, at 10:00 AM. The Board Meeting will take place prior to that at 9:00 AM.
• The January Potluck/Bingo Supper will
be January 19 at 5:30 PM in the Main Hall.
• Laura Thorn, from Llano Cemetery, will
be at ASCA on January 13 at 10:00 AM to
give a presentation on the history of Llano.
Jerry Ammerman
Phyllis Brant
Bill Cornett
Gerry Evans
Elaine Lee
Evelyn Richie