Photo by Pat rick Snapp
CHARLENE MATHESON WAS A GOOD SPORT AND POSED FOR THIS PHOTO WHILE HAVING HER HAIR DONE BY SHANNON SQUALLY.
Puyallup Tribal elders were treated to a very special Valentine’s Day event Feb. 12 at the Elders Center. Staff and volunteers provided all kinds of professional pampering – haircuts, massages, facials, pedicures and manicures – and a steady stream of elders took part in these gifts throughout the day. Many stayed at the Center afterward for a relaxed candlelight dinner in the dining room, and more elder couples and singles arrived to join them as the afternoon turned to evening.
Vernetta Miller, assistant director of the Elders Center, said she was pleased with how it all went. With the Center having been open for just three months now, this was the first time Valentine’s Day could be celebrated there. She said it is unclear as to whether the event would be held again next year, or if something new would be offered.
“This was just a quick put together,” she said, given the shortness of time to make plans after the recent grand opening. Nevertheless, it looked like the Center’s first Valentine’s Day happening was a big hit.
Licensed therapeutic massage practitioners Abby Rios and Mary Lou Nelson gave massages to about 30 elders that day.
“I had a ball,” Mary Lou Nelson said. “It was an honor and a privilege to work with them.”
Puyallup Tribal Police Chief Joe Duenas shed his officer’s uniform for the day in favor of a shirt and tie to look his best escorting elders to their dinner table.
“I hope they do more of these. They’re nice,” he said. Joe Duenas’ wife Lynette, an administrative assistant at the Tribal Police Department, also volunteered for the event. Many others, too, gave of their time and talents to make the day great for the elders.
Dinners were prepared by chefs from Iron Chef Japanese Steak House in Puyallup, giving the Center’s fully-equipped kitchen a full workout. Diners could watch their food as it was being prepared, and everyone received a steaming hot meal. Adding to the romantic atmosphere, a violinist strolled among the tables as she quietly played. The film “Casablanca” was being shown on the dining room’s big screen, a classic love story that includes the famous Humphrey Bogart line perfect for Valentine’s Day: “Here’s lookin’ at you, sweetheart.”
