This Is our Village

Sunday, September 23, 2012

THANKSGIVING DINNER AT THE CLUBHOUSE

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Thanks to Bettie Lee Bleckman
and
Marilyn Pomerantz
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Posted by at

36 comments:

  1. concerned unit ownerSeptember 23, 2012 at 7:01 PM

    What a wonderful idea! Thank you for being so kind as to think of those who will be alone on Thanksgiving.

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  2. AnitraSeptember 24, 2012 at 4:38 AM

    I think it is a wonderful idea for those who are alone for the holiday but I think the price is a little steep for a meal, especially for those that can't eat much. Unless there is more to this than a meal to justify the cost.

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  3. phyllis richlandSeptember 24, 2012 at 7:49 AM

    i also think it is a great idea. too bad you turned down the offer from senior services to have dinners every week for anyone that needed to have a good meal. no one should have to go to bed on an empty stonach. unless you have done that you can't know what it's like.

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  4. phyllis richlandSeptember 24, 2012 at 10:04 AM

    the officers at uco turned it down at a meeting with senior services here in the conference room.

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  5. PlcruiseSeptember 24, 2012 at 10:23 AM

    Are there really that many people here at CV who can't afford to buy enoughfood? What about paying their maintenance, etc.? This sounds terrible!

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  6. phyllis richlandSeptember 24, 2012 at 2:44 PM

    dear plcruise, come into uco and talk to me about this issue. you will be surprised.

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  7. CathySeptember 24, 2012 at 4:12 PM

    I certainly think that dinner includes all the trimmings and desert. I think it's a good price for a holiday meal. I am assuming this is also being catered in. The servers also have to be paid.

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  8. Lanny HoweSeptember 24, 2012 at 5:19 PM

    I think having the dinner is a wonderful idea. I would go and maybe bring someone, but I think I will be out of town. Perhaps those putting this on are wise in starting small and not charging too little this first time. See how it goes.

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  9. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2012 at 6:30 PM

    I have no doubt that there is both financial and social need. The urge to eat and socialize at the same time is obvious - just check out Golden Corral on Saturday morning.

    It is not all about the food. The meal on wheels truck and foodstamps can solve that. The Clubhouse is our community center- why not have a communal meal there once a week?

    Without even asking the people involved, I can probably guess four or five reasons to vote against this idea. "looks bad", "brings down property values", "attracts low income people" " there are churches and synagouges outside the gate that can host this type of thing" etc.

    This blog recently proved its' power to bring issues directly to the residents for approval or disapproval. When the UCO Finance Committee voted to kill WiFi through defunding, the President used the blog to call for a reversal of this decision, a decision that would have, pre-blog, never been discussed outside of a closed conference room in the UCO Building.

    Any Delegate can make a motion at the Assembly, but making a case for its' approval, inside the constraints of
    a 90 minute meeting with a full agenda, a quorum that dwindles by the minute, and buses that "are being held", is next to impossible. Just ask the members of the Pro Active Committee. This blog allows the possibility for
    careful, advance presentation and reasonable debate. And people read it. The Blog is a game-changer.

    So somebody make a motion.

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  10. UCO PresidentSeptember 24, 2012 at 6:48 PM

    Hi Don4060,
    September 24, 2012 6:30 PM,

    My God, you must have had a recorder in the conference room, because your following comment is spot on!

    "Without even asking the people involved, I can probably guess four or five reasons to vote against this idea. "looks bad", "brings down property values", "attracts low income people" " there are churches and synagoges outside the gate that can host this type of thing" etc."

    It was a sad day for the Village, from the point of view of a lack of basic human compassion.

    Take Phyllis up on her offer, she has helped hundreds of folks in CV obtain food stamps and reduced utility costs.

    After you get the story, then make the motion, it will cost the Village nothing, and will accrue many dividends in The Book of Life.

    Dave Israel


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  11. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2012 at 7:54 PM

    Dave, the people change, but song remains the same.

    I live in a rural community in northern NY. One of our local churches puts on a monthly community supper once a month, nine months a year. Nine bucks a head, cooked and served by volunteers and the food is off the hook good. Every year some of the volunteers ask to cut the dinners from nine months to six- snowbird attrition cuts the amount of customers, volunteers and profit for the fuel fund. As an mere eater who does not peel a potato, I don't have much to say on the subject, but I agreed with the Pastor, who argued that Winter is the time when the social aspect of the suppers outweighs the food and the finance. By March, they could serve dogfood and I would show up.

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  12. BettieLSeptember 24, 2012 at 10:11 PM

    Phyllis, as a private community, I do not believe we would be eligible for the offer mentioned,without
    allowing individuals from surrounding areas..which I,personally am opposed to. You have assisted many in need,which is commendable,however,the line must be drawn somewhere. My idea,which others embraced and will be put into motion come this Thanksgiving, is to provide not only a traditional dinner,along with companionship,to many who otherwise would be home alone. We hope this idea becomes a "Tradition"

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  13. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2012 at 10:13 PM

    No dividend for you

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  14. BettieLSeptember 24, 2012 at 10:39 PM

    On a further note, this is
    not a UCO or WPRF sponsored event, although we sincerely appreciate WPFR's
    co operation in planning,as well as support from UCO Officers.



    ReplyDelete
  15. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2012 at 11:34 PM

    Hmmmm.......

    If this is not a WPRF or UCO sponsored event, then you must not have needed WPRF or UCO to approve it. You reserved the room and called the caterer, just like any resident/owner in good standing is entitled to do.

    Why can't Ms. Richland do the same?

    Ms. Bleckman, you said that you "believe" that "individuals from surrounding areas" would have to be included. Did someone from Palm Beach County Senior Services say this to you? Did anyone ask? If these "individuals" WERE required to be included, would that be so bad? They probably would arrive by bus, eat, then get back on the bus. These are seniors, not gang members. What, or more precisely, who, are you "drawing the line" against?

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  16. elainebSeptember 25, 2012 at 8:42 AM

    I have been a server and consumer of communal meals, but they were always open to everyone for whatever donation they wanted to make. I believe the senior services meal that was turned down was only for those passing a 'no-means test'. You would probably be left outside Don.
    PS Thanks to Vitas for the holiday meal last year, communal and great friendly people.
    PPS A successful catered Seder meal in the party room was $20 or more.

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  17. concerned unit ownerSeptember 25, 2012 at 8:56 AM

    In this day and age $20.00 for a holiday dinner is very reasonable. Possibly a reduced price could be offered to people who really have little or no extra money. I will be with my family that day, otherwise I would have loved to volunteer my services.

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  18. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2012 at 10:08 AM

    Elaine- story of my life.

    I was impressed by Ms. Bleckman, who stood up and claimed ownership of her vote, and explained her reasons. I do not agree with her, but at least I now know why.

    So what 's the deal with the senior meal? Does it have to be open the the general public, means-tested or not? Or is this another legal opinion from one of our many poolside lawyers?

    And,again, what would be so bad about feeding "individuals from surrounding areas"? President Obama and many of his supporters were "individuals from surrounding areas"- did anyone vote to "draw the line" against them when they wanted to come into the clubhouse?

    ReplyDelete
  19. elainebSeptember 25, 2012 at 1:01 PM

    Don, answers would be at UCO.

    ReplyDelete
  20. BettieLSeptember 25, 2012 at 1:12 PM

    Don4060
    As a Member of the Ex Bd.,
    I have briefly stated my position..there are other factors..should you care to
    communicate w/me, you may do
    so @ the Reporter..

    ReplyDelete
  21. UCO PresidentSeptember 25, 2012 at 6:58 PM

    Hi don4061,
    September 25, 2012 10:08 AM,

    I was present at the meeting and I am a voting member.

    There was NO requirement to admit non-CV Resident persons to this meal.

    I repeat that this decision was a travesty; "But for the Grace of God go I"

    Dave Israel

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  22. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2012 at 6:58 PM

    Ms. Bleckman- I am sure that there are other factors involved. This is usually the case with new things that involve many people and interests. Your decision was not an easy one to make, and though you are the only no-voting board member to discuss your vote on this blog, you are obviously not the only one who thought that this weekly meal would be a bad idea.

    But I really just want to stick to and nail down this one particular factor:

    Would allowing Palm Beach Senior Services to provide a weekly meal in the Clubhouse come with a requirement to host non-resident seniors, and, if so, would hosting non resident seniors present an unacceptable risk or inconvience?

    ReplyDelete
  23. UCO PresidentSeptember 25, 2012 at 7:02 PM

    Hi don4060,
    September 25, 2012 6:58 PM,

    In answer to this specific question again:

    "Would allowing Palm Beach Senior Services to provide a weekly meal in the Clubhouse come with a requirement to host non-resident seniors, and, if so, would hosting non resident seniors present an unacceptable risk or inconvenience?"

    The answer is NO!

    Dave Israel



    ReplyDelete
  24. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2012 at 7:29 PM

    So the "individuals from surrounding areas" canard is just that- an explaination that is not based in fact.

    Another poolside legal opinion.

    I don't reside in Century Village, I am not a Senior and, at the moment, I do not require supplimental nutrition services. But I do pay Palm Beach property tax and WPRF recreation fees. If Palm Beach County wants to provide services in my Clubhouse, why wouldn't I want to recoup some of what I pay out in tax, even if it does not benefit me directly?

    Here is another way of looking at it- if my less fortunate next-door neighbor can get a little help with his grocery bill, he will be less likely to fall behind on his maintenance payments, and this DOES affect me directly.

    Here is another way to look at it: IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO!

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  25. FrancescoSeptember 28, 2012 at 2:04 AM

    ...splitting hair here...
    Is this a for-profit or a non-profit event/meal?
    Is this an event to make US feel better or the people who NEED to participate?
    How was the ticket price determined?
    I did a Google search for 'Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner' and I did not find consensus on the menu.
    Would it be possible to publish the menu?
    We can be proud to be avant-garde because we have approved Wi-Fi (hurray for that!) but to be totally avant-garde maybe entails including possible needy (and not just economically) people to spend time with us, in our community, in our homes.
    Playing God to exclude is very old, regardless of what bureaucracy we want to blame.

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  26. MagSeptember 28, 2012 at 10:12 AM

    Forsooth - it's just a dinner intended to be a positive event for those who want company and socialization for a holiday that otherwise might be spent alone. How did it come to be so over analyzed and the intent questioned?
    Isn't the subject of initiating communal dinners and what would be involved when and if for discussion separate from this probably well intentioned holiday dinner? and I hardly think WiFi coming to CV is avant garde ---better considered to be catching up with the times and that does not mean I am pro or con ---and while I am a compassionate person and agree some in CV need food help which Phyllis does a great job helping w/ this is a gated community and you can always volunteer at a religious center or soup kitchen to help out with the needy-- endless opportunities to volunteer time or donations or financially. There is so much chatter about our safety if reflection bay goes ahead and let's remember our angst with the homeless man living in his car in CV ---I'm not an isolationist but don't see CV as a gathering spot for those non residents ---contribute to Meals on Wheels. I have in the past served in church soup kitchens/meals for the homeless/ run food donations so I am not thoughtless or uncaring. Right idea to help out our immediate neighbors with nutrition needs. one small step please

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  27. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2012 at 11:46 AM

    Ugh...again with the "gated community" and "non-residents".

    Palm Beach County Senior Services will not require non-residents to be fed at the Clubhouse. They want to bring this service in for Century Village residents.

    This service will cost the Village nothing. There is no catch. The meal would be served on weekdays, when there are usually more security guards and maintenance staff in the Clubhouse than residents.

    I hope that this issue will be discussed at a future Delegate Assembly. Properly presented, with all "poolside legal opinions" addressed, I cannot imagine that the Delegates, mostly decent people, would not vote to bring in this new service, and overturn a truly hard-hearted decision of the UCO Executive Board.

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  28. MagSeptember 28, 2012 at 3:59 PM

    that's what I said - let's take care of our CVers who are nutritionally challenged --I am not against communal meals for CVers who need and want ---and a good idea for the discussion to start in whatever arena is appropriate be it exec bd/delegate assembly or ???

    ReplyDelete
  29. Lanny HoweSeptember 28, 2012 at 4:30 PM

    I'm kind of lost in all the back and forth on this. I thought Bettie and Marilyn were simply trying to put on one meal, Thanksgiving this year, for some of the folk here who might otherwise be having Thanksgiving dinner alone, whether well-to-do or poor. They set a price to be sure to cover expenses. Do I recall its being $25 at first and now $20? I thought it was a great idea if, of course, it could be done within the rules and regulations.

    Were their plans really larger in scope than this—i.e., to make it a point to invite people from outside the Village and/or to continue this with more such meals throughout the year?

    It's a lot of WORK to arrange to put on a meal like this—beyond the catering, I mean—and my hat's off to Bettie and Marilyn and whoever else is involved in the project for even considering undertaking it even as a one-time thing. I'd like to see them encouraged in their efforts to do what THEY envision, assuming there are no legal obstacles.

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  30. BettieLSeptember 28, 2012 at 4:59 PM

    THANK YOU LANNY:
    On behalf of myself & the
    others whom have OFFERED
    to provide a Festive dinner
    to our RESIDENTS..As you
    well know, my initial projected cost was $25.00,
    however, we were able to
    reduce it, by eliminating
    what I thought would be a nice jesture, of gifting
    a few chosen individuals,
    at random, I must add....
    with a Gift Card..however,
    I conceded, and the price
    was reduced, which covers
    the meal, including tax,
    of 17.00 pp, 4 servers @
    80.00 per and table cloths,
    & misc table decorations...
    Personally, had I ever envisioned this brew ha ha
    I never would have suggested
    nor shared my thoughts, with
    others, who ALL volunteered
    to bring this about..I haven't seen any other individual come forward in
    the 10 yrs. I have been an
    Owner/Resident.seasonal for 5, so in conclusion, if you
    have nothing positive to
    contribute, find another topic, elsewhere.

    ReplyDelete
  31. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2012 at 5:40 PM

    Lanny, your confusion is understandable. Somewhere near the top of this thread, the topic branched into two separate discussions.

    The first is the announcement of the Thanksgiving Dinner at the Clubhouse.

    The second is UCO Executive Committees' decision to bar Palm Beach County Senior Services from serving a weekly communal meal at the Clubhouse.

    One of the organizers of the Thanksgiving gathering is also one of the Executive Board members who voted against allowing Palm Beach County Senior Services to put on the weekly meal. There has been some debate over why this idea was voted down.

    ReplyDelete
  32. BettieLSeptember 28, 2012 at 9:45 PM

    Don4060- FYI Lanny is not
    the ONE who is CONFUSED!
    He not only happens to be
    a colleague @ the Reporter,
    as well as an ExBd member.
    It appears you have little
    or no knowledge of the operations of UCO. The Officer's (all elected) Committee,consists of the
    Pres/4VP's/Treas.& 2 Sectry's, known in the Corp
    world, as THE EXECUTIVE BD.
    however, within our Village
    our Ex Bd consists of both
    appointed & elected individuals, who filter the
    issues, which are then passed on to the monthly
    Del.Assembly,for final dis-position.
    Re: both yours & Phyllis's
    issue,it was rejected by a
    majority vote of Officer's.
    followed by the Ex Bd..
    .

    ReplyDelete
  33. debgellerSeptember 28, 2012 at 10:42 PM

    I am off work on Thanksgiving Day. I can be there at whatever time you need me to be there to help set up the tablecloths and table decorations. I will also stay and help for the duration, and be there to help you clean up. You may contact me at deb.geller@comcast.net with details of your needs as the date nears. I hope you don't lose me at the bottom of this blog, which has been hijacked by many with good intentions, and some not so much.

    ReplyDelete
  34. debgellerSeptember 28, 2012 at 10:43 PM

    Oh... and God bless us everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  35. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2012 at 11:26 PM

    Ms. Bleckman, you are correct in pointing out my unfamiliarity with UCO operations, procedures and customs and also the fact that the meal issue was "rejected by a majority vote of Officers followed by the Ex Bd.".

    I think that decision is ethically wrong, and based on false information, namely, that allowing Palm Beach County Senior Services to provide a weekly meal at the Clubhouse would require the admission of non-resident seniors into our community. This is simply not so.

    My hope is that this issue can be discussed and debated here, on this blog, and that the discussion can be carried into a future Delegate Assembly where, if the Delegates see fit, they can vote on the matter themselves. I am not a Delegate, but as an owner, I can urge both my Delegate and others to reconsider this matter. It seems to me to be the right thing to do.

    Meanwhile, please continue "filtering the issues" for us.

    ReplyDelete
  36. FrancescoSeptember 30, 2012 at 2:58 AM

    Glad that a healthy discussion is still on. Glad that some people are still able to give a hand.

    I can’t help but notice though, and it is apparent also in discussions about other topics, that some of us feel we have all the answers, have the power to appoint ourselves referees with timers to call a discussions closed, full of good intentions but practicing not in my backyard... and worst of all a feeling to have the inside track.
    I am aware that there are lots of politics at play here, people defeated/winners of board/non-board positions who have temporarily forgot that at your service is the key.
    Every question is a question (loaded or not), but for people 'at you service' by election or self-appointment the question needs an answer. Parading good or better intentions is never enough, actually it is not a good sign especially when at the end, because of decisions which have been made at the very beginning, some people are excluded.

    We do allow in VC people who live on the other side of the street and we call them guest: they can 'even' come to the Clubhouse a enjoy a show. We know now that communists do not eat babies. When will we know that the gates are not crumbling down because all the homeless people who sleep in their cars are ready to invade our parking lots?

    In college they use to have (some still do) course(s) called critical thinking.
    In US 61.0% of households now have Wi-Fi (South Korea 80.3%). You find Wi-Fi in most libraries, in some parks, in most college campuses, across some towns (we call these places apples).
    We have other Century Villages in Florida and we have other communities similar to Century Village. (we call these places oranges)
    I do not know how many places we call oranges have Wi-Fi. I confess I live only on the second floor and I do not have a room with a view, actually I might have a small window to the world, but I know of very few oranges with Wi-Fi or plans to make it available. I still believe that our CV could be considered avant-garde if we do not let the apples in.

    ReplyDelete

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