Later this month, Celebrating Seniors in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park will be celebrating its fourth year — the “senior” year of our existence.
And like high school and college students nearing the end of that formative time in their lives, Celebrating Seniors is excited about what we have achieved as well as what is yet to come.
We want to urge you to mark your calendars from Thursday, May 15 to Thursday, May 22, when nearly 50 free events are planned during Celebrating Seniors Week.
Because of the subtle or not-so-subtle process of aging, many of us are either experiencing or witnessing the transition of someone needing some form of assistance. One of the outgrowths of Celebrating Seniors’ effort is heightened awareness that we are all on the frontlines of this shifting demographic.
Our parents are living longer and requiring more care. Those of us in our 40s and up are projected to live longer as well and need to plan for how we will care for ourselves and those we love. Younger people, from children to young adults, are all impacted by this in one way or another. Some of us provide care and some of us fund the care that is so badly needed.
We all need a place to start. We need to know where to go to get help when confronted by challenges. For that reason we formed the Celebrating Seniors Coalition.
Consisting of individuals, businesses, congregations, government agencies and other individuals and organizations that serve the senior population, the Celebrating Seniors Coalition has had four main objectives since its inception:
To help seniors with emergency needs.
To facilitate cooperation between the business community, government agencies and non-profit organizations for the benefit of the senior population.
To promote senior groups and organizations that serve persons 60 and older.
To raise public awareness of issues affecting seniors.
We are excited about the way the conversation about aging is taking place in our communities.
More importantly, we are touching the lives of ordinary citizens with our works of charity. We have paid utility bills so people have heat and running water and we have purchased mattresses and provided moving services to those in need. We have funded refrigerators, washers, hot water heaters, furnaces and air conditioners. We have changed locks as a rapid response to keep people safe.
These are just a few of the wide-ranging acts made possible by the work of the Celebrating Seniors Coalition. Better still is the way the hospitals, park districts, libraries, other government offices and businesses are communicating and collaborating to serve the vibrant senior population in our communities. It has been gratifying to watch these stakeholders reinvent themselves in the service of seniors.
From “Treasure or Trinket,” a May 15 event at the Oak Park Arms, where skilled appraisers can tell you the value of your personal treasure, to the closing luncheon at Concordia University with keynote speaker, CBS 2 Chicago’s Harry Porterfield, there will be something for everyone during Celebrating Seniors Week.
By now, you have likely seen “Celebrating Seniors” signs pop up throughout our communities. Perhaps you have gotten hold of this year’s Resource Guide, which includes our latest class of “60 Over 60” individuals who have made — and continue to make — a wonderfully positive impact on our quality of life.
Want a sign? Interested in learning how you can get involved? There’s no time like the present to explore how you can join in, so please feel free to call me at 708-386-3100 or visit us at www.celebratingseniors.net.
I hope to see you at an event and thank you in advance for your support in Celebrating Seniors.
Jim Flanagan is chairman of the Celebrating Seniors Coalition and the OPRF Township Senior Services Committee.