Another in our series…

The People of the Park:

A Visit with JoAnn Sipola

By Dale Dauten

The evening news had been full of winter storm photos all during the week I was to meet with JoAnn Sipola. Winter had even tried to reach down to Silveridge – while the highs would reach into the 60’s, one night’s low had dipped down into the 30’s. That happened to be the day I sat down with JoAnn, and when I heard that one of her volunteer activities was leading a weekly water aerobics class, it caused me, a longtime desert resident, to wonder aloud if it had been too cold for the pool. She laughed, then simply added this: “I’m from Minnesota.” Even so, she went on to confess that she was getting less inured to the cold: “I used to say that I wouldn’t go to the pool if it was 36 degrees or colder outside — but now it’s 38 degrees.”

(Photo: JoAnn at the Silveridge library)

I doubt she has much time to notice the weather as she volunteers with and helps lead, not one activity, not two… well, let’s jump to the end… five groups of which she’s an active part. There’s the aforementioned water aerobics, which she leads every Friday morning; plus, she’s one of the park’s librarians; she’s on the team that puts on the Minnesota party, leads a new hiking group, and is involved in the making of mats for the homeless.

It’s the last of these, the mats, about which she seemed most passionate. Turns out that a casual conversation led to the activity’s start at the park: “A friend from Wisconsin taught me about crocheting grocery bags into mats – their church had been doing it. That led me to visit the Lost Dutchman Church in Apache Junction, and they gave us our first loom.”

The thin, strong plastic used in grocery bags creates clogging problems for recycling equipment, which is why many municipal recycling programs don’t want them. But, as JoAnn explained, if you take about 500 bags, cut them into strips, and weave them on a 6’X3’ wooden loom, you end up with a sturdy, waterproof mat that’s helpful to someone who’s homeless. The mats from Silveridge – the park’s volunteers turned out about 30 last year – are donated to the Genesis Project in Apache Junction, which operates a soup kitchen and also supplies clothing and toiletries. JoAnn recalls a recent visit to their facility: “I had six mats that I was taking in, and as I was unloading them, a homeless lady came up to me and said, ‘I could really use one of those.’”

(JoAnn and park volunteers at work on a mat)

Another of JoAnn’s favorite activities is hiking, and this season she’s experimenting with a new group: “They asked me to start a group for people who are new to hiking or don’t want a hike that’s too demanding. So every Thursday morning we go out for an easy hike, about three to four miles, with not too much change in elevation.” If you’re interested in giving it a try, there’s a signup sheet on the bulletin board outside the Activities office, including carpooling options.

A BRIEF BIO

We like to pass along a bit about the folks in the park, and here’s some of what we learned…

JoAnn says she “was born, raised, and stayed in Virginia, Minnesota.” Her father worked for the railroad, her mother was a teacher, and JoAnn graduated from Virginia High, she was off to Bemidji State for a degree in Business, with a focus on computers.

That led to her early career as a computer programmer. However, she took time off when her son was born, and then went to work alongside her optometrist husband, Don. They ended up with three clinics, with JoAnn as Clinic Manager. Although they retired a decade ago, the clinics live on, now run by the Sipolas’ son and daughter-in-law, both optometrists, and despite being retired, JoAnn says with a smile, “They let me come into work once in a while.”

(JoAnn and Don Sipola)

As for coming to the park, it happened because Don’s parents lived in Leisure World. This was a few decades back, a time when, as JoAnn put it, “There was just Leisure World and orange groves.” Visiting Don’s folks once or twice a year meant that the couple was familiar with the area, and once they retired and acquired a motor home, they decided to come to the Valley for a month. They looked for a place to stay and happened upon an opening at Silveridge: “Someone’s parents had gotten sick, so they had to leave early, and we got their spot.”

JoAnn described her first reaction to Silveridge, “It really is ‘the friendliest park in the West.’ We came on that first visit, and the day we arrived, we were at our first happy hour. How could we not go back?” That next year, they reserved a spot to return the following year, but before heading home, they decided to look at a few park models: “We bought a unit that day.”