A Gathering Place for Seniors
and Their Community

Rendezvous Pointe  

Rendezvous Pointe is a non-profit senior and community center located in Pinedale, Wyoming. We are committed to keeping seniors and the disabled in our community healthy, active, self-reliant and able to live in their own homes or independently as long as possible. Yet we and others are also working on building new senior housing for those who choose to leave their own homes and can live independently.

Most importantly, Rendezvous Pointe fosters friendship and the enjoyment of each other. Whether it is delicious, yet well-balanced and nutritious meals, water colors, ceramics, music, the Fiber Guild, a trip to Yellowstone National Park, Tai Chi, card games, local history, and even the annual blood drive and breakfast, we have fun and learn something, too.

We are generously supported by our local community including the Sublette County Commissioners, the Pinedale Town Council, and many businesses and individuals. Rendezvous Pointe also receives support from the Aging Division in Wyoming's Department of Health, the Wyoming Senior Services Board, the Wyoming Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

By special reservation, and for modest fees, Rendezvous Pointe is also available for community, private and public functions or events.

We can be reached at 307-367-2881 or just come by and visit us at 425 E. Magnolia in Pinedale, Wyoming. See the map at the beginning of our website. We will show you genuine Western hospitality.

Brochure (PDF, 2 pages)

NEWSLETTERS:
December, 2019 (12 pages, 3.7 MB PDF)
November, 2019 (12 pages, 6.4 MB PDF)
October, 2019 (12 pages, 2.7 MB PDF)
Lunch Options 2019 (157K PDF)

2019 Senior Survey (4 pages, 229K PDF)


Newsletters include news, monthly menu and activity schedule. Due to the online orientation of our monthly newsletter, both the monthly menu and activity calendar lie on their side. Unless you like a challenge, print one or both, and they can then be read with ease. Enjoy!

“Coming to the center is a way to get up and out of the house. To me it's therapy ... I like being around people, always have!”  - Age 90

Click for larger map

The Setting
Rendezvous Pointe and Pinedale are beautifully situated in the Upper Green River Valley in northwestern Wyoming. It sits beneath the Wind River Range to the east and the Wyoming Range on the west. During the 1830s and 1840s and with its abundant wildlife, it was the home to Indian tribes, the mountain men rendezvous, and it later became the home to successful homesteaders and ranchers. Today, it attracts many visitors, second-home owners, hunters, skiers, fishermen, hikers, boaters and campers. It now also is home to a sizable natural gas development.

The Need
The current county population is 10,041. Perhaps surprising to many, seniors are the fastest growing segment of Sublette County's population, and they will constitute the only growing age cohort for the next decade.

In 2000, individuals age 60 and older numbered 1005, or 17 percent of the total county population. In 2008, they numbered 1312 - a 62 percent increase. By 2020, seniors will represent almost 18 percent of the total county population.

Between 2010 and 2020, the only age group that will grow in size will be those 65 years old and over. All other age groups will actually decline. For example, today all age groups declined except those ages 55-64.that grew 1.9 percent and those ages 65 and older that grew 19 percent.

In Sublette County, not only will we see the demand for senior services increase, but there will be fewer working people to meet those demands.

Also in 25 years, Wyoming, along with Florida, Maine, and New Mexico will host the highest number of those over 65 in the nation.

Today and tomorrow, Rendezvous Pointe can meet those growing needs. Whether it is good-tasting and nutritious meals, in-home services, art classes, flu clinics, exercise programs, or just plain fun, at Rendezvous Pointe we are proud of the quality and diverse services we provide and the help and friendship of our seniors, their families, and volunteers.

Seniors Speak

• Ninety-eight percent (98%) rate the noon meal "good to excellent."
• 100 percent (100%) of seniors rate Rendezvous Pointe "friendly to very friendly"
• Eighty percent (80%) rated Rendezvous Pointe staff "excellent".

Click here for the 2017 Senior Survey Summary (PDF, requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.)

We appreciate the trust and confidence of our seniors and promise to continue our service and dedication.

Our services are available to all persons over the age of 60, regardless of race, religion, national origin or disability.

A High Performing Nonprofit
During 2013 and 2014 in the first comprehensive analysis by two university scholars, Rendezvous Pointe was selected among 344 nonprofits as one of the top sixteen high performing nonprofits in eight states that represented a national sample.

This study was also the first major research program to identify the characteristics of the high performers and then demonstrate the differences between those high performers and the other nonprofits.

The two authors posited and then tested propositions in the areas of staffing, compensation and recognition, training and development, performance appraisal, information sharing, and employee participation and engagement.

The top four performance work systems that were the best predictors of high organizational performance were in order of importance were:

1. Nonprofits that share information with all employees make all employees feel more informed, more trusting, and more capable. Those nonprofits such as Rendezvous Pointe that share information have much higher organizational performance than the other nonprofits.
2. Nonprofits that provide employees the opportunities to voice their views, participate in problem solving, and contribute to the organization will improve the employees’ motivation, perceptions of fairness, and performance. Once again the high performers, including Rendezvous Pointe, significantlyoutscored the other nonprofits.
3. Nonprofits like Rendezvous Pointe that better plan for leadership development and for the succession of senior staff experience much higher performance.
4. Nonprofits, including Rendezvous Pointe, that offer performance based compensation and other non-monetary benefits (which do cost money) such as flextime, some form of health care, retirement plans, and verbal recognition of outstanding achievement have higher organizational performance when compared to other nonprofits.

Rendezvous Pointe was very pleased and thankful for receiving this recognition and accolade. It is a tribute to our staff, volunteers, and those who support us.

Meals and Nutrition
Sue Eversull, Rendezvous Pointe's Dietary and Kitchen Manager, and her kitchen continue to prepare delicious, yet well-balanced and nutritious meals. They are served with a personal touch and that makes them even tastier, and they are still the right price.

All meals are reviewed by our Registered Dietician, and the meals and the kitchen meet or exceed all applicable county, state and federal standards.

The noon meal is served five days a week, 251 days a year. We are closed on weekends and major holidays. A salad bar is available for each meal, and a suggested donation for those 60 years old and above is $5.00 and for those under 60 years old it is $8.00. Soft ice cream is also available daily.

For those who are homebound, we also offer home-delivered meals.

Whether it is the noon meal or a home-delivered meal, those who plan on joining us must call by 10:00 am to make a reservation. The reservation number is 307-367-2881.

Nutrition education for noon meal and home-delivered meal clients is another service. Whether it is food safety, the value of fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy products, portion sizes, and the interpretation of food labels, such education can assist the many who still live in their own homes and who prepare at least one meal a day.

See the new annual senior survey noted above for seniors’ views and rankings of our noon meal program.

Good nutrition and meeting friends are cited as what seniors enjoy most about our noon meals.

Transportation
In a rural and very low-density population area where winter weather can last for months, transportation services are critical, particularly for those who can't drive. For many seniors, our transportation services are the only vehicle through which they can participate or take advantage of Rendezvous Pointe's meals and other programs. Mike Schwab, our Transit Director, provides a necessary and valuable service, particularly for those seniors who can no longer drive. For example, between 2014 and 2015 we provided 1,603 trips for shopping, medical appointments, social events, educational outings and Rendezvous Pointe activities such as Wii bowling, Tai Chi and other activities. Confirming the value of our Transit Service, our 2015 Senior Survey showed that when asked to rate our Transit Service on a scale of 1-5, with 5 the best possible rating, seniors rated it 4.9.

No donation is requested for very short and infrequent trips in town, but for other town trips a donation of $4.00 is suggested. For longer trips within the county, a $10.00 donation is suggested, and a $25.00 donation for out-of-county trips. If a senior wishes to use our transportation services, he or she must call 307-367-2881 and make a reservation including the pick-up time, pick-up location and destination.

“You feel so helpless when you can't drive ... The center helps me stay independent.”  - Age 88

Activities & Entertainment
Not only do Rendezvous Pointe's weekly schedule of activities further the friendships so prized by our seniors and their community, but they draw out their creativity and let them have some fun. They also keep minds active and that helps keep them mentally fit.

Our weekly activities begin with the craft class and then continue through the week with cards, bingo, a very talented watercolor class, ceramics and the Fiber Guild. During the month, and in addition to these regular activities, seniors may go out for dinner, shop, attend a local history discussion or book reading, tour the countryside in the fall as the leaves change color, watch chalk art, make Holiday greeting cards, celebrate National Peanut Month or National Grouch Day.

All of these activities, fun and creative ideas are the brainchild of Beth Allen, our Activity Director, See online or a hard copy of our newsletter for the Monthly Activity Calendar.

Health and Wellness
In combination with a healthy diet, exercise and preventive medicine can help avoid heart disease, stroke and diabetes. They can also help prevent falls and accelerate a person's recovery from surgery. That is why Rendezvous Pointe places a major emphasis on health and wellness programs.

In conjunction with the Public Health Nurse, Rendezvous Pointe sponsors an annual blood draw and breakfast. Over 1,200 residents participate. Again, with the Public Nurse, every year we offer flu shots for several hundred seniors and help educate them and others about the need to plan for a future flu pandemic.

We offer routine blood pressure checks and manicures and pedicures.

We encourage and offer all forms of exercise, including walking, swimming, Tai Chi, use of Proactive Rehabilitation and the Pinedale Aquatic Center. Every year Rendezvous Pointe sponsors an exercise program where participants will walk, run or otherwise exercise their way to Hawaii, Rome, or other destinations.

In-Home Services, the Lending Closet, and Caregiver Support
These programs literally provide a lifeline to Sublette County seniors and others who need help or cannot independently perform normal daily living tasks. Our goal is to ensure that those adults who need help or are at risk can live as independently and comfortably as possible.

In-Home Services
The Community Based In-Home Services, a program managed by the State of Wyoming's Aging Division in the

In-Home Services Brochure 330K PDF (2 pages)

Department of Health, provides personal care and homemaking services to Sublette County seniors 60 years of age or over, their spouses, and some disabled individuals. However, only those at risk qualify, and any potentially eligible individual will undergo a needs assessment that will determine if they qualify, and it will also be used to develop her or his care plan.

That care plan may include homemaking services such as light housework, shopping, managing money, meal preparation, transportation, use of the telephone or computer, and correspondence.

The plan may also include personal care such as bathing, dressing, hair care, walking, and personal hygiene.

Other services include minor home modification, temporary respite, and assistance with emergency electronic warning devices or "life lines."

Depending on family income and other factors, Rendezvous Pointe may charge for these services.

Our In-Home Services program has an Admission and Waiting List Policy and a Discharge Policy. They are available upon request and will be given to each potentially eligible client.

The Lending Closet
Beyond the In-Home services, Rendezvous Pointe offers a lending closet for anyone in temporary need whether due to an accident, surgery or other infirmity. Among other items, the Closet includes walkers, canes, crutches, shower and bath benches, pill boxes, toilet seat risers, wheel chairs, electric wheelchairs, and wheelchair ramps.

Caregiver Support
Our other major assistance program is primarily a federally supported program managed by Wyoming's Aging Division. It provides support for those who give care to another family member, a member of a household, a neighbor or friend. The Caregiver Support Program assists caregivers of adults who are 60-years old and over, and grandparents who are 60-years old or older who care for children less than 18 years of age. The program offers caregivers respite or some time away from home, support groups, homemaking services and life lines. By reducing caregiver stress and fatigue, the quality of life for the care receiver is also enhanced.

Jeanene Esterholt, Rendezvous Pointe's Case Manager, is in charge of these programs. She can be reached at 307-367-2881.

“Although I have many good friends, I live alone in a wonderful log home near the Green River where I have lived for the past 30 years. For my peace of mind, I have chosen to use a life line. I have also needed home-making services and transportation for medical appointments. Rendezvous Pointe's In-Home services have been a godsend. ”  - 75-year old Sublette County Senior

Donations
Beginning in 2007, Rendezvous Pointe launched its premier annual fund drive, the Friends of Rendezvous Pointe. Those who contribute to this program will be recognized on our new "Wall of Fame", the Gems of Sublette County. We have the following categories.

Beyond these categories, we have established a special place for contributions made in memory of a loved one or friend. It is titled a "Living Memorial", and was designed by Sublette County artist and sculptor, David Klaren. Family and friends can purchase hand-hewn nameplates in Bronze (beginning at $200), Silver (starting at $350), or Gold ($500 or more).

Since Rendezvous Pointe is a non-profit organization -
a 501(c)3 - all contributions are tax deductible.

Thank you for your support.

Rendezvous Pointe Staff
Paul Jensen/Executive Director - edrpointe@centurytel.net
Cher Rosencranse/Financial Director - rendz@centurytel.net
Charlee Thomson/Adm. Asst. - rpoffice@centurytel.net
Jeanene Esterholt/Case Manager - rpcm@centurytel.net
Beth Allen/Activity Director - rpact@centurytel.net
Kathy Rebescher/Transportation Coordinator trans@centurytel.net
Sue Eversull/Kitchen Manager - rpkitchen@centurytel.net
Lourinda Beierle/SAMS/Newsletter - rpnews@centurytel.net

Rendezvous Pointe Board of Trustees
James Gehlhausen - Chair, JDLLD@yahoo.com
Karen Moulton, Vice Chair, kwinkler48@gmail.comil.com
Jon Boroff, Treasurer, jskk@centurytel.net
Stephanie Lund - Secretary, stephlund77@yahoo.com
Gary Neely, garyneely14@hotmail.com
Adele Legerski, glegerski@wyoming.com
Mark Mickelson, tmark711@hotmailcom

Every year the four year term of two Board members expires. Every May, two new Board members are elected by Rendezvous Pointe seniors to fill the expired terms.

“When younger, I served on the board two times. I now take advantage of the services available. It's
nice to know that as I will need more services, they will be here.”  - Age 75

425 E. Magnolia Street, PO Box 804, Pinedale, WY 82941-0804
307-367-2881
Fax: 307-367-6769
E-mail: admasst@centurytel.net