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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 3, 2019)
Wednesday, July 3, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Locals push age-friendly environment By Sue Stafford Correspondent The declaration of Sisters as an age-friendly commu- nity came about through the efforts of a dedicated group of local citizens who picked up on one guest column in The Nugget penned by local resident Joan Power who voiced concerns regard- ing service gaps in Sisters for the growing population of seniors. She suggested a community-wide meeting be held to discuss the concerns. Through the organiz- ing of public events by Citizens4Community to encourage discussion and provide education, a group called the Senior Alliance formed to create momen- tum for addressing the con- cerns raised. More educa- tion/discussion events were held, including efforts by St. Charles Health System Community Foundation and the Council on Aging of Central Oregon. A core group of volun- teers agreed to rebrand the Senior Alliance and expand its scope for inclusivity by forming Age-Friendly Sisters Country, following the World Health Organization9s guide- lines (see related story on page 1) in order to imple- ment action items and seek funding for projects. AFSC was identified as a partner in the Sisters Country Horizons Vision Project, which identified a number of strategies and action items related to issues for aging citizens and those who find themselves on the margins of society for whatever reason. AFSC believes that everyone is somewhere on the path toward aging, and those com- munities that serve the needs of older adults benefit every- one in the long run. A Board of Directors was formed, bylaws were writ- ten, articles of incorporation were filed, and in March 2019 they were granted their 501(c)(3) non-profit sta- tus. AFSC will continue to administer the age-friendly status for the City, by acting as an umbrella organization providing networking, orga- nizational expertise, profes- sional accounting, and the non-profit status for organi- zation, groups, and individu- als who want to work toward solving area issues related to housing, transportation, edu- cation, health services, social inclusion, volunteerism/ employment, or buildings and public spaces for com- munity congregations. They seek to create, encourage, and sustain part- nerships with those in the community whose focus, services, and activities are consistent with their mission and goals. Their mission is <to create, encourage, and sustain partnerships that fos- ter active, inclusive living for people of all ages and abili- ties in Sisters Country.= Board member Toni Landis explained, <Individuals with a great idea and the motivation to act are often stymied in their work because they don9t have a way to apply for grants or receive funds that might be available. In partnership with AFSC, they have status to apply for grants and can receive grant funds.= <The concept is that this will free those groups and individuals that want to translate vision into action to do so without the 8overhead9 of needing to go through the hoops of becoming incorpo- rated, getting 501(c)(3) rec- ognition, or setting up bank- ing and reporting protocols,= according to board member John Griffith. Robyn Holdman of Citizens4Community said, <Since the beginning of the initiative, every effort has been made to ensure that all aspects of the work have been profoundly inclusive. The local service provid- ers for senior citizens have all been invited to par- ticipate 3 SPRD, the Fire District and its Fire Corps, the City, Council on Aging, the churches, etc. Through numerous articles in the local newspaper, promotion during senior citizen activities and events, and C4C-sponsored community meetings and events, people of all ages and abilities have been invited to provide input and to get involved.= The AFSC board members and their areas of respon- sibility include: Rendal Broomhead, president, health services, urgent care, St. Charles; Toni Landis, pres- ident-elect, transportation, WHO, Council on Aging; Dixie Eckford, secretary, Sisters Country Horizons Vision, age-friendly global network, outdoor spaces, and Council on Aging; John Griffith, treasurer, commu- nications and volunteerism; Beverly Halcon, community support and health services, Sisters Fire Corps; Diane Goble, housing and Housing Policy Board; and Chris Laing, C4C liaison, social participation and social inclusion. AFSC has a Facebook page, Age Friendly Sisters Country, and an email address, agefriendlysisters @gmail.com. Watch for their website soon at www.agefriendlysisters.com. 27 Raffle for veterans... PHOTO PROVIDED Sisters veterans organizations are holding a raffle for a Marlin .30-30 lever action rifle to raise funds for the local VFW and American Legion organizations. Veterans will sell tickets at Ray’s Food Place on July 6 and again on July 20 with other dates to follow in August. The drawing will be held on September 2. Pictured are Lance Trowbridge and Jeff Mackey. METAL ROOFING & SIDING Your #1 Line of Defense Against Wildfi res & Falling Embers • ROOFING • SIDING • INTERIOR RidgelineMetal.com 1305 SE Lake Rd., Redmond 541-548-7044 Your local choice for quality product and service since 1986!