Trout Lake Care

Care.TroutLake.org

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Please Take Our Survey

As a community member, sharing your views is essential to help us define our goals on how to help aging and disabled Trout Lakers, their families, as well as plan for the future. We are closing out our survey September 2.

If you are 60 or above or have a disability, click the button above.

If you are a family member of a resident that is 60 or above, or has a disability, or have ideas and views to share, click the button above.

About Trout Lake Care Inc.

A local resident, Ray Theygesen, wanted to create an organization to help seniors stay in the community as they age. In June of 2016 Trout Lake Care, founded by Ray, was granted 501c3 nonprofit status by the IRS. He worked with Klickitat County to offer free senior dinners every month at the local school, and also obtained funding from the state Area Agency for Aging and Disabilities to help our aging community members and those with disabilities stay at home instead of leaving Trout Lake. Ray also organized a group of volunteers to help seniors and the disabled by performing small construction projects such as installing wheelchair ramps and grab bars, and by lending medical equipment such as walkers and wheelchairs. Unfortunately, with Ray’s passing and then the pandemic, Trout Lake Care became inactive.

A growing number of residents believe it’s time to continue, and expand, Ray’s vision. Residents Rabbi Rob Abramovitz, Carolyn Wilhelm, Bijee Burns (Ray’s widow) and Dennis Hartley have recently restarted Trout Lake Care, and reapplied for non-profit status, which is expected to be granted this fall.

We are a volunteer organization of Trout Lake residents. Our diversity is our strength, which is reflected in our growing number of supporters. We can accomplish our goals if we are unified by a common vision. The help and services we intend to provide will tap into this strong ethic of volunteerism we have in our community. At the same time, we will partner with outside organizations including the Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities of Southwest Washington (AAADSW) and Klickitat County Senior Services, organizations that offer many services and programs to benefit us. Both directors of these agencies have encouraged our efforts.

Our Mission and Vision for the Future

With the support of our community, we not only want to restart the programs that were under Ray’s leadership but explore expanding services in new areas: identify a gathering space for seniors for regular activities such as lectures, exercise classes, celebration gatherings, or a place to find a good book to read or meet friends and neighbors by the fireplace on a snowy day. A community kitchen offering a frozen meals on wheels program, a shuttle into town on a regular schedule, and regular wellness checks by a nurse. Contact Joannie Williams for questions related to health services. We’d like to involve senior students from the Trout Lake school who want to volunteer their time to help and support our programs in different ways.

Looking into the future, we want to explore, along with the community, the feasibility of creating a new activity hub close to town that includes housing. This new center would be designed to fit in with the community architecture and to encourage intergenerational connection and fun, all scaled to fit, and enhance, the scale and feel of our town that we know and love.

Financial Viability

We aim to be as independent as possible, tapping into the great depth of resources in our com-munity. To be successful, we need to not only donate our time and expertise to this effort, but also need to maintain our long-term financial viability. This will depend on donations and endowments from the community at large. Some anticipated help and services will be free of charge, performed by volunteers. However, most of us are able to contribute towards the cost of services we need. Monies TLC receives will be on a suggested donation basis. Some will pay more, some less, based on ability to pay. This income will enable us to offset expenses and operate on a long-term basis.

Some of our future initiatives will require part-time positions. We are investigating funding from outside sources, including county, state, and federal sources. We recently applied for a grant from the Area Agency for Aging & Disabilities, and although we were not selected for this funding cycle, they have encouraged us to reapply. Please contact any board member for more information or suggestions about funding.

Join Our Effort

Right now, the best way to support our effort is to take our survey. This will allow us to identify areas of consensus and enable us to move forward, as well as attract funding. Contact any board member if you want to volunteer. We will need help in many areas, including leadership. We currently have five board members but want to add two more positions. The survey lists several ways to volunteer. If you would like to donate, contact any board member, or go to Contact Us below.

Contact Information

Trout Lake Care Inc.
PO Box 224
Trout Lake, WA 98650
info@troutlakecare.org

Rabbi Rob Abramovitz, President
rabbirob@troutlakecare.org
503-720-7017

Carolyn Wilhelm, Vice President

Bijee Burns, Secretary

Dennis Hartley, Treasurer
dennis@troutlakecare.org
541-514-0625

Joannie Williams
joanniecaritas@gmail.com
626-930-8257

The website we are designing (troutlakecare.org) will have news on what’s happening and will give you the ability to join our mailing list, donate, volunteer, or sign up for activities and services.

Steering Committee, Supporters & Advisors

Rick and Sharon Allen, Dennis Anderson, Pat Arnold, Kimberly Ballard, Debi Budnick, Robert Davidson, Laura Doctor, Jeff and Beki Duke, Kim Gilmer, Deb and Mike Hill, Glenda Hollenbeck, Mike and Johanna Kaufman, Jamie Lee Kate, Barry Jones and Kathy Keller Jones, Margo Kelly, Brian and Ronda King, Page Logan, Lucy Mason, Norbert and Clarissa Miller, Rev. Adam Peck, Monte Pearson, Kozen Sampson, Ingrid Spies, Tom and Bonnie Reynolds, Jana Warner, Mike and Jeannie Wellman, Rev. Warren Williams, and Zoe Wood.