Things looking a bit brighter around here

“We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same.”

Anne Frank

If you’ve visited the Costa Mesa Senior Center recently you will have noticed how everything around the center looks brighter. We owe it all ? the new lighting along the streets, the new signals, the new bus stop, the beautiful landscaping and the painting of the exterior surroundings ? to the good folks at the city level. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the city of Costa Mesa and everyone involved for the beautification of 19th Street and the Costa Mesa Senior Center.

The Costa Mesa Senior Center owes so much to the city of Costa Mesa. The city owns the beautiful building that we are fortunate to be able to use for our senior programs. As of last year, they have also provided us with a wonderful maintenance person to keep up the facility.

The center’s budget is offset with a very generous annual grant given to us by the city. True to the founding vision of the center’s first advisory committee and the city, the Costa Mesa Senior Center is the “seniors’ home away from home,” as we like to say.

We owe a vote of thanks to Thanh Bui, systems and programmer supervisor for the city, who has so willingly helped us put together a great website for the center. Easy to navigate and informative, the website lets everyone know what is happening at the center. Please visit us online at www.CMseniorcenter.org.

July is membership renewal time at the center. We have many special events coming up, and by becoming a paid member you are the first to be notified of events, hear of upcoming trips and be one of the first to sign up while socializing with other members. Our monthly membership meeting is held on the third Tuesday of the month, from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Great desserts are served during the meeting, and there is always entertainment. Being a member also gets you the monthly Chronicle and keeps you informed of daily center events.

Join us on Monday for our Independence Day celebration picnic, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Food will be served by In-N-Out Burger and entertainment will be provided by the Ragg Timers. Please come dressed in your red, white and blue outfits. Reservations are a must: $5 for members, $12 for non-members.

Celebrating life is just as wonderful when we recognize the birthdays of our Costa Mesa Senior Center members. On July 21, the center will hold its third birthday party for those celebrating 80 or more years of living.

On Saturday, July 29, we will once again have our car washand pancake breakfast. It’s a bargain at $5 per car wash and $5 for pancakes with sausage breakfast served by the Costa Mesa Newport Harbor Lions Club. All proceeds go to the center for senior programs.

Celebrate the summer and join us at the center as often as you can ? we love to see you!