Calista donates $10,000 to Bethel Senior Center
Calista Corporation
Ladies at Eddie Hoffman Senior Center share smiles.
Eddie Hoffman Senior Center in Bethel will receive a $10,000 donation from Calista Corporation. To celebrate the donation Calista and the center will hold a brief ceremony on July 31 at 10:30 a.m. at the senior center. Calista staff members will also provide a photo booth so that each elder can have a portrait photo taken. Calista will arrange to have keepsake 8 x 10-inch photos printed and sent to the center. Calista staff will also be on hand to accept updates of shareholder information, necessary to provide Calista shareholders with newsletters, dividends and other special mailings.
Owned and operated by the Orutsararmiut Native Council, the Bethel native tribal corporation, the center provides a host of services to the elders in the community. Services are provided in part through nutrition, transportation, and support services grant funding. Extremely high heating and electrical costs strain the center’s budget and limit services.
“Running a nonprofit in rural Alaska is very different than operating on the road system,” said Senior Center Director Louise Charles. “We have a very limited number of companies we can go to seeking donations and funding. Calista Corporation has provided consistent support to the Bethel Senior Center and we are very thankful to Andrew Guy and Calista.”
“Calista Corporation will forever hold high our elders and the ANCSA mandate to improve the socio-economic standards of our region,” said Calista Corporation President Andrew Guy. “It is an honor to serve our region and our elders through donations, advocacy and other key efforts.”
The Y-K region is home to approximately 24,000 people and more than six percent of the population is 65 years of age or older, according to 2010 State of Alaska DCED data.