STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

A sellout crowd of 150 supporters of The Senior Connection turned out in force Saturday evening at the Sage School Barn to Connect for a Cause and raise money for a nonprofit that has quietly become a lifeline for the Wood River Valley's older residents.

The Sage School Barn in Hailey's Quigley Canyon was dressed for celebration, its rustic beams and open spaces transformed for an elegant dinner prepared by The Senior Connection’s Chef Sky Barker.

Aperol spritz cocktails and shrimp-crabcakes set a festive tone as guests happily reconnected after months apart. Florence Harvey had just retreated to Sun Valley as temperatures climbed at her winter home in the Carolinas. And Dennis Hanggi told Norm Leopold of his winter in a Tucson senior community that featured 250 clubs and a neighborhood posse that had an evil eye for residents who leave their garage doors open.

Nancy Mihalic laughs at the sky-high hors d-oeuvres Chef Sky Barker made for the evening.

Jovita Pina, the executive director of The Senior Connection, made it personal as she recounted how she had dedicated the past 18 years of her life to the nonprofit sector because it was a way she could pay back her parents, teachers and others—like the local Rotary Club—who had helped her through college.

“I chose the life of service not only because it's meaningful, but because I never want to let those individuals who helped me down. I have now been with the Senior Connection for eight and a half years, and I have never felt like my work matters more.”

Pina told of the day her first boss walked into The Senor Connection. She was older and she was lonely.

“Denise later told me that she tried many times to walk into the center but, when she saw my face, she felt immediate relief. And she became a regular. She started volunteering for bingo, making new friends and reconnecting with old friends. She would proudly tell everybody, ‘Jovita used to work for me,’ and I know she was proud.”

Diners smiled in approval as Tyler Rhodes donated back the Sun Valley season ski pass he won to another lucky ticket holder.

When Denise suffered a fall and needed home care, the Senior Connection provided Meals on Wheels that allowed her to remain in her home for several more years. And, when Denise passed away earlier this month, her sister showered Pina with words of gratitude.

“In that moment, I understood something deeply. I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be,” she said, before going on to recount similar stories.

“That is my story, our story,” she added. “Every single day, my team and I show up to serve seniors because this work is not just our job, it's our passion and our purpose. And because seniors deserve, for the last chapter of their life, to be filled with dignity and love. So, it may be our hands that are delivering the service, but it's your investment that makes it all possible.”

The Senior Connection served a thousand unique individuals last year by providing nutritious meals in its dining room, Meals on Wheels, caregiving, transportation to doctor’s appointments and field trips and fitness classes addressing strength, balance and stability.

Penny Weiss co-chaired the event, which kicked off the summer gala fundraising season in Sun Valley, with Terri Bullock.

The organization’s goal is to never turn anyone away for inability to pay.

“Every dollar donated goes directly to the people served,” gala co-chair Terri Bullock told those in the room.

“The work they do is just unbelievable,” added Bullock’s co-chair Penny Weiss.

The night carried an undercurrent of remembrance as board member Mardi Shepard honored Mary Calhoun, who passed away several months ago. Shepard called Calhoun “a lightning rod” for The Senior Connection for the past five years.

Jack Sept delighted in showing Carl Bontrager and Phil Johnnies the photo of the grizzly his wife took last week in Yellowstone National Park.

Calhoun brought wisdom to every discussion, grace to every challenge and steady guidance when decisions were hard, Shepard said. She made people feel heard, respected and inspired to do more than they thought possible, while rallying more than 20 women to early morning planning meetings, raising critical funds and breaking records for an organization she believed in deeply.

“She led a fabulous, purpose-driven life as a remarkable leader, a dedicated advocate and a deeply compassionate friend to so many in our community,” she said. “Mary's service on the Board of the Senior Connection was defined not only by commitment, but by her heart. She understood that leadership is not about title or recognition. It is about showing up … and helping others feel seen and valued.”

Auctioneer Larry Flynn, who has helped raise more than a half-billion dollars for charitable organizations across the country, was tasked with loosening the wallets. He worked the room with the easy patter, auctioning off a Sun Valley and Bigwood Golf Package, a Sun Valley Culinary Institute cooking class for 10 and a half-day fly-fishing trip with guide Bob Knoebel on the Big Wood River.

With characteristic warmth, Flynn told how The Senior Connection was his first charity client back when he was a morning disc jockey selling the first 300 cellular phones in the valley. It was hard raising even $15,000 for the Senior Connection in those days, he said.

“Over the years, the support has become stronger—mostly, I think, because we’ve all gotten a little older and we all realize this is a very necessary organization in this community.”

DID YOU KNOW?

About 40 percent of adults have some level of dementia by the time they turn 85, according to Dr. Carol Stephens, who provides geriatric care at The Senior Connection. The Senior Connection not only provides a memory care club for those dealing with dementia but it has a support group for caregivers, it helps provide early detection and it assists families in planning for the future.