SUBJECT:
Title
Proclaim May 2016 as Older Americans Month
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DEPARTMENT: Parks & Recreation
PRESENTER: Farrell Buller, Parks & Recreation Director
FISCAL INFORMATION: N/A
Cost as Recommended:
Balance Available:
Budget Line Item Number:
New Appropriation Required:
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Proclaim May as Older Americans Month in the Town of Erie, Colorado
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SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
In May Erie Parks and Recreation is celebrating Older Americans Month. Older adults are a growing and increasingly vital part of our Town. The contributions they make to our communities are varied, deeply rooted, and include influential roles in the nation’s economy, politics, and the arts.
In 1963, the Administration for Community Living began to acknowledge the contributions of older people by using the month of May to celebrate Older Americans Month (OAM). The annual observance offers the opportunity to learn about, support, and celebrate our nation’s older citizens. This year’s theme, “Blaze a Trail,” emphasizes the ways older adults are reinventing themselves through new work and new passions, engaging their communities, and blazing a trail of positive impact on the lives of people of all ages. More information about National Older Americans Month can be found at http://oam.acl.gov/index.html.
While the Town of Erie provides Senior and Recreation Services to older adults year-round, we will use OAM 2016 to focus on how older adults in our community are leading and inspiring others, how we can support and learn from them, and how we might follow their examples to blaze trails of our own.
On Thursday, May 19, 2016 the Erie Active Adult program will honor our local older adults at the Senior Nutrition Lunch program held at the Erie Community Center. Front Range Hospice will make the suggested donation for anyone 60 years and better so our older adults may enjoy a free lunch. Thirty students from the Erie High School 9th Grade English Honors class will present a book of stories they wrote about 31 of our local older adults (see attached article from The Daily Camera published April 14, 2016). A 4th grade class from Aspen Ridge Preparatory School will be at the lunch to entertain and serve the older adults and clean up. Lastly, Ceal Barry, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations, University of Colorado, will be the keynote speaker during the lunch program.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Proclamation
2. Older Americans Month Flyer
3. Daily Camera Article “Erie High School students honor local seniors”