Seniors Creating, Connecting and Contributing!

May 13

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May is Older Americans Month - a time to celebrate the talents, contributions, and value of older adults to our communities!

jean_charlotte_senior_wellness_fair-180370-edited The theme this year is Connect. Create. Contribute. It encourages older adults and their communities to:

Connect with friends, family, and services that support participation.
Create by engaging in activities that promote learning, health, and personal enrichment.
Contribute time, talent, and life experience to benefit others.

This week on our blog we wanted to highlight 5 news-worthy stories about seniors that are connecting, creating, and contributing to their communities and serve as examples to all of us!

First, a local story for all of us this graduation season! Meet Bob Dwyer, he is an 90 year old great-grandfather and is about to be Northeastern Illinois University’s oldest graduate. Bob is a great example to all of us that it is never too late to achieve a new goal. Congratulations Bob!
At 102, Irene wanted to raise awareness for motor neuron disease by going skydiving. When she jumped out of that plane Irene became the oldest person to ever go skydiving, changing so many people's’ perceptions of older adults.
For the last 12 years Tinney Davidson, “the waving granny”, has been waving to students from her living room as they head to school. When the students found out that Tinney was moving from her home they gathered together to give her some flowers and to say thank you. Tinney’s story reminds us all about the importance of simply being kind and friendly to one another.
Last year Loyola University Chicago made the Final Four for the first time in decades. And while the team made history on the court, the world fell in love with Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt. Sister Jean is the 99-year-old chaplain of Loyola’s Men’s Basketball team. She serves as a mentor to students, offering them advice and feedback on their performance on the court and in life. Sister Jean’s example reminds us all about the importance and impact of intergenerational relationships.
This last one is not just one older adult making a difference, but several. Earlier this year the New York Times published an article titled “I Am (an Older) Woman. Hear Me Roar.” That article and some of the think pieces it inspired show us how influential and powerful older women have become in our world and how, despite their age and because of their age, they are able to work hard and make a difference!