Senior in brief

| The New Mexican

6/7/2008 - 6/8/08

Senior Olympics coming soon

The 2008 Senior Olympics will be July 30-Aug. 3 in Las Cruces. Applications are now available. The application deadline is June 20. For more information, call Carmen at 955-4754 or the senior center at 955-4721.

Senior Services plans Colorado trip

All seniors are invited to a four-day trip, June 23 -26, to Cripple Creek, Colo., sponsored by the Senior Services Travel Committee.

Cost of the trip is $285 for a single room; $225 per person for a double room; $215 per person for a triple room. The price includes round-trip transportation on the Senior Services bus and lodging. Trips are first come, first served. Registration is taking place at the Mary Esther Gonzales Senior Center, 1121 Alto St. For more information, call Ken Scott at 955-4271 or 983-7183.

There is a 10 percent cancellation fee.

Cell-phone bank for seniors

Santa Fe Retired Senior Volunteer Program recently started the 911 Cell Phone Bank to provide used cell phones for seniors who need them to report emergencies.

RSVP seeks cell phone donations from individuals, businesses and other organizations. Donations may provide the critical link between law enforcement and someone in trouble.

This program, endorsed by the National Sheriffs' Association and the National Association of Triads, is relatively simple: You drop your old cell phone into a collection box and the Santa Fe RSVP office will send it to the Cell Phone Bank to be refurbished. Refurbished phones will then be sent back to us, complete with an extra battery and a charger. These phones will be programmed to call only 911 and we will distribute them to potentially vulnerable senior citizens and victims of domestic violence who do not already have regular cell phones.

There is a collection box at the Mary Esther Gonzales Senior Center, 1121 Alto St. Donations can be made from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

More collection locations will be established over the summer. For more information, or if you have collection location suggestions, please call Kristin Slater-Huff in the RSVP office at 955-4760.

Celebrate June birthdays

Celebrate June birthdays at: 11 a.m. June 13 at Ventana de Vida Center, 1500 Pacheco St.; at noon June 20 at the Mary Esther Gonzales Center; and at 11 a.m. June 20 at Pasatiempo Senior Center.

Conference explores diversity

"A Diverse Community: Exploring Options, Expanding Horizons," the 2008 New Mexico Conference on Aging, will be held Aug. 26-29 at Sandia Resort and Casino in Albuquerque.

This year's keynote speakers include E. Percil Stanford, Michael Patterson and baseball player Johnny Bench.

For more information, call the Aging and Long-Term Services Department at 866-842-9230, or visit the Web site at www.nmaging.state.nm.us.

Senior centers' lunch menu

Monday: Beef brisket au jus, baked beans, coleslaw, garlic toast and apple crisp

Tuesday: Posole with pork, red chile (optional), tossed salad, mixed veggies, tortilla and a cookie

Wednesday: Chile rellenos with green chile, pinto beans, squash with corn and cheese topping, Spanish flan

Thursday: Beef tips and white rice, buttered broccoli, tossed salad, whole wheat roll and plums

Friday: Chicken and noodles, buttered peas and carrots, whole wheat roll and a fresh pear