Older Americans Day celebration Thursday to honor Rockwall County seniors

(ROCKWALL COUNTY, TX – May 23, 2016) The community is welcome as Meals on Wheels Senior Services of Rockwall County hosts the Older Americans Day Celebration at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 26 at the Rockwall County Library, 1215 Yellow Jacket Lane. This year’s theme is “Blaze a Trail!”

In preparation for this event each May, Rockwall County organizations, the five city Mayors, city government, and individuals nominate several outstanding seniors to receive an award honoring the value that they contribute to our community.

To nominate a senior, please call the Meals on Wheels Senior Services office at 972-771-9514.

Older adults are a growing and increasingly vital part of our country. The contributions they make to our communities are varied, deeply rooted, and include influential roles in the nation’s economy, politics, and the arts. From 69-year-old NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Jr. to 84-year-old actress Rita Moreno to 83-year-old Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who took her seat as a Supreme Court Justice at age 60, older adults are blazing trails in all aspects of American life.

In 1963, we began to acknowledge the contributions of older people by using the month of May to celebrate Older Americans Month (OAM). Led by the Administration for Community Living, 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.

While Meals on Wheels Senior Services provides resources and events 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. Throughout the month, MOWSS will conduct activities and share information designed to highlight resources available.

For more information, visit http://acl.gov/olderamericansmonth