Oakview Volunteer Dinner

Last year I wrote (here) about how much I enjoyed the dinner Oakview Nursing gave for those who volunteer (we get to give concerts there a few times every year).  When we received an invitation to their volunteer dinner this year we didn't want to miss it for anything.

The dinner was held at the same venue as last year, the spacious Beaman Memorial Building.  We signed in for a drawing for flower vases and took our seats at a table.  The tables were decorated with umbrellas and flower arrangements to give the room a very spring-like look.  

After greeting our wonderful hostess Jane and the Oakview staff, we admired the quilts on the walls while we waited for the first course.  The butterfly quilt above is one of my mother's favorites.  

Soon salads were served, and we enjoyed the crispy lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.  I'm not very much of a salad fan, but they definitely know how to make a simple salad taste good.

I came to dinner starving, and quickly ate all my salad.  The dangerous part of eating salad first is that it takes up so much room not enough is left to finish the main course.

...And that can be disappointing when the main course consists of a generous helping of potatoes, pork, and green beans.  The potatoes were wonderful.

Next came the most important part of the meal!  Guess what?!

Raspberry Cheesecake and French Silk Pie!

My youngest sister and I split a piece of each so we could taste both.  The French Silk was very sweet and light and the raspberry cheesecake was splendid (I love the taste of raspberries!).

After dessert the 3 tables of people were assigned to write a story about 3 elderly people, George (a 92 year old veteran), Ethel (an 80-something lady with an attitude), and Bill (A charming 82 year old gentleman).  Table 1 was to write about their morning.  Table 2 would write about lunch and the afternoon, and Table 3 would write about the evening.  We were also given several words that we had to implement in our stories.  It was fun to do, and very interesting to hear the completed story.

Then everyone who wanted to participate was invited to sit in a wide circle, and while music played we passed around a few packaged presents.  When the music stopped, whoever had them in hand had to unwrap one layer, and then the music would start again.  The people who unwrapped the last layer of packaging received the present.  Some people got Gatorade, others M&Ms, chocolate, and packaged cakes, and I received chewing gum (above).  My mother won a vase of flowers in the drawing.

It was a very pleasant evening, and I would like to thank Jane, Lynn, and all the staff at Oakview for the wonderful dinner.  They know how to make a dinner both fun and delicious, and Oakview once again retains its title as a wonderful place to volunteer.