UPCOMING EVENTS all events are free unless otherwise noted August 3 Topical Thursdays12:30 to 2 pm on zoomName Something You Can’t Live WithoutSee topic writeup belowTo join group, find purple Join Group button below August 8 Second Tuesday LGBT+ Senior Gathering What Is a Before-&-After Moment in Your Life? at Mgt. Todd Senior Center 1560 Hill Road, Novato in the Hill Community Room behind the main building(see site map & more information below)12:30 to 2:30 August 9 Positive Action for Allies **more information and to register contact Janna Barkin jbarkin@thespahrcenter.orgnoon to 1:30 pm August 9 LGBT+ Senior Monthly Mixer **at San Rafael Joe’s  -from 4th Street entrance4:30 to 6 pm August 15 Games Day *at Sam’s Place, Novato 1545 S. Novato Blvd.meal at 2 pm, games at 3 pm August 16 Aging Gayfully **Introductory Class Beginsonlinefor Older LGBTQ+ Adults(more information below) August 17 Senior Breakfast Club *at Sam’s Place, Novato 9:30 am August 19 Sidewalk CPR **free 15-minute traininghands-free CPR, NARCAN & moreat venues throughout Marin Countysee flyer for sites near you10 to 2 pm August 22 Fourth TuesdayWest Marin LGBT+ Senior GatheringSan Geronimo Valley Community Center 6350 Sir Francis Drake Blvd12:30 to 1 brown bag/1-2:30 discussion August 25 Men’s Brown Bag Lunchlast Friday of every monthdownstairs at the Spahr Centersemi- ramp but no automatic door150 Nellen Ave. #100, Corte Maderanoon to 1:30 pm August 29 Women’s Coffee *at Sam’s Place, Novato 10 am * Social Committee event, must RSVP, at least 8 participants required;to RSVP or get on their email list, write to them at socialcommittee@comcast.net ** See flyer below

To join the Spahr Senior Groupon ZoomMondays, 7 to 8 pm, &Thursdays, 12:30 to 2 pm,click the purple button below the Butterfly Heart or here: 

Join Group

New participants are warmly welcomed!If you’re zoom-challenged, let me know and I’ll work with you!

Topical Thursdays12:30 to 2 pm July 20Name Something You Can’t Live Without What comes to mind when you think of the phrase: I can’t live without my ______. And how might that have changed from what you would have named 10 years ago? And 30 years ago?

Living Room Mondays7 to 8 pm We share with each other about how we’re doing and have unstructured conversations focused on listening from our hearts and deepening community.

SECOND TUESDAY!August 8 In-person at Mgt Todd Senior Center 1560 Hill Road, NovatoHill Community Roombehind the main buildingsee site map below new people warmly welcomed!  12:30 to 2 pm brown bag & discussion(a new shorter time we agreed to recently) What Is a Before-&-After Moment in Your Life?Can you think of a moment that changed your life? An experience when you changed or the world around you changed? Let’s talk! New Covid Protocols: The Spahr Center provides critical, life-saving services to some immunocompromised communities. Therefore, we require program participants to be fully vaccinated, including a bivalent booster. Otherwise, community members are required to wear a mask. And please stay home if you’re experiencing any possible covid symptoms! The purple arrow points to our meeting room behind the main building at the Mgt. Todd Senior Center:

Positive Action for Allies Strategies to help us become better allies for ourselves and each other in difficult situations…To register, click here.

Aging Gayfully!Free Online Class For LGBTQ+ Seniors Buz Hermes is back with a new series of online classes, starting August 16th, 11 am to 1 pm. Many in our community have taken this class and describe their experience as transformative. Aging Gayfully! is a unique class being offered online as part of the Older Adults Program of Santa Rosa Junior College.  It is free to all California residents. The class provides a comfortable space for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning adults to explore skillful aging strategies that address their unique aging issues. The Fall 2023 semester session begins online on Wednesday, August 16th from 11 am to 1 pm and continues weekly until December 13th. For more information or for instructions on how to enroll email the instructor, Gary “Buz” Hermes MA at ghermes@santarosa.edu.

You could save the life of a loved one!

The Northbay LGBT+ Senior Social Committee has been consistently offering meaningful, fun events for the senior community. Everyone born in any month will be celebrated in that month’s email – including your birthday if you’ll let them know when it rolls around!  To sign up for their emails or register for events, click here. You can check out their August birthdays and calendar by clicking here.

Coronavirus Updates A second bivalent covid vaccination is available to seniors and immune-compromised individuals if you had your first bivalent injection at least 6 months ago. Covid Test Expiration Dates Extended:When the tests were created, a conservative date was assigned because authorities didn’t know how long they would be effective. They are working beyond their original expiration date and have been assigned new ones. You can check on your kits’ expiration date and learn more by clicking here.IF your kit is made by Quickvue, you can search for the updated expiration date here. In order to keep track of new infections, the County asks that we report self-test results here.  To see Marin County’s latest pandemic information, click here.  May we all be safe and well!

Three potential guests who did not show up on Saturday at the picnic.

Vivalon Resources for Seniors  Whistlestop, now renamed Vivalon, offers many resources for us seniors, now listed in this easy-to-print one-page guide. Access to rides, food, classes, activities, resources, referrals, and more. Membership not required for most classes and services during the pandemic. Some in-person events are being planned. To get Vivalon’s listings, click here. They also provide access to resources including rides for older adults. Please note: there is a 3-week registration process for the ride program so register now if you think you may need rides in the future. Click here for their website.  The Jackson Cafe has great specials, a roomy dining room, small tables and big round tables for groups. Open 11:30 to 1:45; $8 for members, $10 for guests, with takeout readily available. You can find their daily changing menu and more information here.

Building Community from the Comfort of Your Home!See old friends and make new ones! Join us! The Spahr Center’s LGBT Senior Discussion Groupscontinue everyMonday, 7 to 8 pm& Thursday, 12:30 to 2 pm on zoom

To Join Group by Video using Computer, Smart Phone or TabletJust click this button at the start time, 6:55 pm Mondays / 12:25 pm Thursdays:Join GroupAlways the same link! Try it, it’s easy!

To Join Group by Phone CallIf you don’t have internet connections or prefer joining by phone,call the following number at the start time,6:55 pm Mondays / 12:25 pm Thursdays:1-669-900-6833The Meeting id is 820 7368 6606#(no participant id required)The password, if requested, is 135296#If you want to be called into the group by phone, notify Bill Blackburn at 415/450-5339

California Department of Aging ResourcesThe CDA has a website that is packed with information and resources relevant to the lives of seniors in our state. From Covid-19 updates to more general care for age-related health issues, access to legal assistance to getting home-delivered meals to help with housing, you may well find answers to your questions by clicking: here.

Adult and Aging Service’s Information and Assistance Line, providing information and referrals to the full range of services available to older adults, adults with disabilities and their family caregivers, has a new phone number and email address: 415/473-INFO (4636) 8:30 am to 4:30 pm weekdays473INFO@marincounty.org