In an effort to raise money to pay off a $45,000 mortgage due by January 2026 and to celebrate 50 years of the organization’s history, the Yelm Senior Center hosted a buzzing and fruitful winter social Saturday, Dec. 16.
The event raised $21,000 to go toward paying off the mortgage. According to Yelm Senior Center Executive Director Jeanie James, 94 people attended. In a prior interview on Nov. 13, James told the Nisqually Valley News that prior senior center leadership took out a $70,000 loan with the building as collateral. She added the burden of paying off the loan falls on the current leadership at the senior center.
“Our winter social fundraiser was better than I’d ever imagined,” James said. “We were hoping to just earn anything. We’ve never done an event like this before, so we were unsure how it would go. I’ve said this before, but in the seven years I’ve been here, we’ve never had the community support that we have now. It’s just amazing. I’m hoping that the people who came in here on Saturday night for the first time saw what a great place we are.
“I had a fear that, because we’ve never done anything like this, even though we have a ton of community support, that people wouldn’t come because they’re not used to coming to the senior center for a huge event like this,” James continued. “I was shocked that we sold all those tickets, even though it was my goal. I knew it was a huge event for us, but I wasn’t sure if people would come or not.”
James said Greg Vinyard and his wife, Stefanie, Wayne McCarten, Stephanie Kangiser from Bliss Experience, and Shelley and Dan Nicholson from DZines All Day each played big roles in ensuring the event was successful. James said McCarten, with Uptown Lounge, and Vinyard, with Grocery Outlet, each arrived at 8 a.m. on the day of the event to start preparing the steak and lobster dinner.
“The feedback I’ve gotten from people was just the most amazing part,” James said. “It was a wonderful event. I think people were surprised that we pulled it off. I was surprised too. It was an amazing evening, and I felt like we pulled it off. If it wasn’t for all of the support from those helpful community members, none of this happens.”
James noted the total cost of the event for the senior center was just $400, and supporters of the fundraiser and the Yelm Senior Center covered everything else.
“We’re volunteers. We depend on donations, grants, and the city’s support. Other than that, it’s membership, donations or grants. You can’t get a grant to pay a mortgage or pay employees, which I totally understand,” James said. “A winter social was something we’ve never done before. I’m a firm believer that you should try something before you say it isn’t possible. This was a success, and we’ll take what we wish had gone different and change that for the better next time around. But there were very few things that I wish had gone differently.”
James also thanked Jennifer Lamont and Jess Lyman for serving as bartenders; Lyn McCulloch and Chandell Stotts for serving; and Troy Milles for serving as the auctioneer at the event.
“I don’t think we could’ve asked for anything better than what we had,” James said. “The feedback has been positive, and I’m so happy the event turned out how it did.”
