The Spahr Center has moved to:1575 Francisco Blvd. East, San Rafael 94901The building is just before the turnoff to Target and Home Depot. Our phone number continues to be 415/457-2487.  Our staff will be working remotely and online until January 8 when the new location opens for limited services. We will be fully operational in our new home by January 15. More details here. LGBT+ Senior Programs will be fully operational starting January 4 with our Topical Thursday zoom group. January 8 will bring our Monday Living Room Conversation on zoom and we’ll be back to our Second Tuesday in-person group at Mgt. Todd Senior Center on January 9.

UPCOMING EVENTSall events are free unless otherwise noted January 4Topical ThursdaysListening to Each Other12:30 to 2 pm on zoom January 8Living Room Conversation7 to 8 pm on zoom January 9Second Tuesdayat Mgt. Todd Senior Center  Topic: Doing Things Differently1560 Hill Road, Novato in the Hill Community Room behind the main building12:30 to 2:30 January 10LGBT+ Senior Monthly Mixer **at San Rafael Joe’s  -from 4th Street entrance4:30 to 6 pm January 16Games Day *at Sam’s Place, Novato 1545 S. Novato Blvd.meal at 2 pm, games at 3 pm January 18Senior Breakfast Club *at Sam’s Place, Novato 9:30 am January 23Fourth TuesdayWest Marin LGBT+ Senior GatheringSan Geronimo Valley Community Center 6350 Sir Francis Drake Blvd12:30 to 1 brown bag/1-2:30 discussion January 26Men’s Brown Bag Lunchlast Friday of every monthAT OUR NEW OFFICES1575 Francisco Blvd. East, San Rafael 94901PLEASE CONSIDER CARPOOLING! noon to 1:30 pm January 30Women’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 January 4Topic: Listening to Each OtherIs there a difference between hearing people speak and truly listening to each other? In the Heart Circle practice that is part of another community that I am part of, we pass a talisman/talking stick and each take a turn speaking from the heart. When someone else is speaking, the rest of us, as we say, listen from the heart; in other words, we let go of our thoughts and judgments and give the person speaking our full, witnessing attention. This practice gives our time together a profoundly different quality. Let’s talk!

Living Room Conversation 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 1560 Hill Road, NovatoMgt. Todd Senior Center’sHill Community Roombehind the main buildingsee site map below new people warmly welcomed!  12:30 to 2:30 pm potluck & discussion Topic: Doing Things Differently If you had your life to live over again, what would you do differently? Given your present understanding and perspective, what changes would you make in the life you have lived? I don’t have a lot of regrets in my life but one is that I let a stepmother get in the way of my relationship with my dad in the last years of his life. It wasn’t entirely my actions – he was a participant in this, too – yet I allowed my stepmother to dominate our conversations and stifle deeper connection. What would you do differently were you able to do it all over again. And could that awareness possibly affect how you live the life you still have ahead?  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:

The Northbay LGBT+ Senior Social Committeehas been consistently offering meaningful, fun events for the senior community. Everyone born in any month will be celebrated in that month’s calendar – 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 find their January birthdays and calendar here.

Coronavirus Updates A recent covid vaccination is available if you had your last injection at least 6 months ago. Check with your care provider. Flu and RSV vaccine shots are also available. 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! 

Vivalon Resources for Seniors  Vivalon has moved to its new Healthy Aging Campus at 999 3rd Street, San Rafael, next to the Kaiser Building. Their phone number is 415/456-9062  The agency offers many resources for us seniors. You can learn more here. You can see their schedule of classes, some in person and some on zoom, here.  The Vivalon Cafe has great daily specials, a spacious dining room, small tables and big round tables for groups. Open 11:30 to 1:45 weekdays; $8 for members, $15 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

Love Song for Humanity Cellist Jamie Sieber’s Love Song for Humanity is here if you would like to hear a piece of her beautiful instrumental work.

Questions? Assistance? Suggestions?  Bill BlackburnLGBT+ Senior Program Manager Our Future Is Marin Possible. Please donate today! bblackburn@thespahrcenter.org415/907-2424