Guemes Island Community Center Association
Enriching and Connecting Our Island Community
Island News
Lisa McCloud — Zumba Gold, Island-Style - Lisa leads Zumba Gold classes at the Community Center on Mondays and Fridays from 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. and Wednesdays from 5:15 - 6:15 p.m. If you'd like to learn more about Zumba Gold or be added to the Zumba Gold distribution list for info and updates, you can contact Lisa at laughoftenandmuch@yahoo.com------
On Wednesday, April 10th, a dear friend from Seattle came to Guemes to attend my first OFFICIAL Zumba Gold class as a certified instructor. Over a glass of post-Zumba wine at the General Store she shared that she had become a little emotional during the class with the recognition that this new chapter in my life was the culmination of so many things that I love dearly including (but not limited to) community, dance, island living and learning to take myself less seriously.
Eight years ago, when my husband, Kurt, and I first set foot on Guemes to look at a house for sale, like so many others before us, we didn’t know the island existed. This seems crazy given that my father had grown up in Anacortes and I had spent my formative years visiting family in the area. But despite that fact, it took us precisely one trip around the island with Karen Everett to become smitten with this haven. We loved our home in West Seattle and had no plans to leave but here we are celebrating nearly two years as full-timers in our happy place. We are fortunate that our jobs allow us the flexibility to work remotely, of which we are taking full advantage. I have been with A Place for Mom, a senior care referral company, for nine years and am enjoying a new role as a coach to our partner support team. Kurt is celebrating 17 years as a residential home mortgage lender with an office in Anacortes.
Thanks to my extroverted husband and some fan-freaking-tastic neighbors (island-wide) I have quickly come to appreciate the joy of community. You have to experience it to understand and I feel incredibly grateful for that gift. In fact, I have my community to thank for encouraging me to become a licensed Zumba Gold instructor which has been an unexpected source of tremendous joy for me. Dance has always been an outlet for me and I’m grateful to be able to share it in a way that is simple, silly AND SO GOOD FOR YOU.
My favorite feedback came from a new Zumba participant after her first class when she said, “I wanted to apologize for laughing at you, but oh my gosh, your face (expressions)!” So come and dance and sweat and laugh at me! Or better yet, laugh at yourself. Life is too short to take ourselves so seriously.
Meet Your Neighbor
GICCA Welcomes New Board Members - In January 2019, the Guemes Island Community Center Association (GICCA) welcomed two new board members. One is a long-time islander and one is a relative newcomer. They come together with the common goal of serving our community. Almost like bookends, our treasured multi-generational families that are steeped in tradition and our new arrivals who are discovering the many things we all love about this island join to continue writing the colorful and evolving story of Guemes Island.Carol Deach is a third-generation Guemes Islander born to Alice and Marv Shoultz in 1950. Her many adventures growing up on the island could fill volumes and they include attending school at the Guemes Schoolhouse until it closed in 1960. Her higher education, then marriage to Tom Deach, followed by the birth of their two children took her young family to other parts of the state, and then to Idaho. She and Tom returned to Guemes in 2010. Carol’s training in art and special education has benefited our community in many ways. Carol was president of the Guemes Island Historical Society and helps with the popular summer Guemes Science Camp as a teacher and organizer. Her vegetable and flower farm stand on Edens Road helps fund her volunteer work with Great Shape! Inc., a humanitarian organization that provides access to education and health care for children and families in Jamaica.
Libby Boucher and her husband, Tony, found their way to Guemes through the brother of a friend who owned property on the island. After a few years of perusing real estate ads and dreaming of island life while still young enough to enjoy it, they made the decision to leave their jobs in Sammamish, and move north to Guemes in 2017. Not quite empty nesters, they have one of their three sons also living here. Tony still works from home. Libby left a career as an office manager at an elementary school where she was president of her local office employees union. Volunteering was also an important part of her life in Sammamish and she wasted no time becoming involved here on Guemes. You’ll see her in the Guemes Library on most Wednesdays. If you ask Libby why she enjoys volunteering, she’ll tell you it’s the best way to meet people when you move to a new location.
Location brings us back to that common ground. There are many of our long-time residents who over the years have served on the board that governs our 105-year-old Community Center. That foundation and support provide a match to the new energy and enthusiasm that honors tradition and keeps our community working together and moving forward. We welcome the contributions Carol and Libby bring to GICCA.
Congratulations!
2019 Betty Crookes Guemes Gold Scholarship Recipients
Left to right: Brynna Bone, Senior, Gold Award; Anna Prewitt, Junior, Silver Award; Jefferson Butler, Junior, Bronze Award; Paula Gunning, Senior, Gold Award.
Islanders gathered at the Guemes Church on May 5 for a reception honoring four outstanding Guemes Island high school students. Scholarship amounts range from $500 (Bronze), $1000 (Silver) to $1500 (Gold). This scholarship program began in 1991 with Betty Crookes and the Guemes Island Women’s Club. It has continued over the years funded by generous island organizations and individual donors. The Guemes Island Property Owners Association (GIPOA) oversees the scholarship program and they wish to thank this year's donors.
Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of AmazonSmile purchases to their customers' chosen charitable organization. Guemes Island Community Center Association is registered on AmazonSmile. So, if you’re already shopping anyway, why not let Amazon make a small donation to GICCA - at no additional cost to you or GICCA!
How does it work?
- Click on the AmazonSmile box (right) which brings you to the AmazonSmile GICCA page
(you might want to bookmark that page to easily find it again). - Sign in to Amazon as usual.
- Then, just shop as you normally would!
Click here to see how much you have made GICCA smile. Thank you!