Eric: So you have a wife of 40 years, four kids and soon you’ll have a fourth grandchild. Yet you still find time to be an SSAC Board member . . .
Jim: The Centre is built almost entirely on the efforts of volunteers. We all try—or at least I believe we should try—to leave some kind of legacy, no matter how small, for future generations of seniors.
Eric: Arriving originally from Brooklyn NY and then moving to Kelowna, you have taught math and science in school to youth from wildly different parts of the continent. What’s the difference?
Jim: Canada has consistent standards for core subjects while, south of the border, these can vary from state to state and from year to year. I started out teaching high school students but, upon obtaining my teaching certificate from UBC, I shifted to the elementary school system.
Eric: Who did you enjoy teaching the most and why?
Jim: Elementary students. They listen and don’t talk back to their teachers.
Eric: So then you decided to retire here in Sechelt. Why?
Jim: I am an environmentalist and love Sechelt because it is just so comfortable here; it feels like home. I belong to a nature club where we hike, look at birds and walk through the forest exploring plants and observing animals.
Eric: What advice do you have for others interested in the Centre?
Jim: This place allows others to realize their goals of being social, eating well and being healthy. I am the Board liaison to the Kitchen Committee, in part because I believe that it’s important to provide good food at an affordable price. With inflation soaring, some seniors are struggling with their fixed-income budgets.
It would be wonderful if more people would consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Centre as we are still working back from COVID shutdowns and certainly want to put this place back on a sustainable path. Another way is to include the Centre in one’s Will as a meaningful way to leave a lasting legacy in the community. After all, most everyone becomes a senior one day.
