Yes! It's the return of the Senior Talent Show! Presented by Senior Services, Age Well Forsyth, and the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association, the show will be at Sexton Hall on Saturday, September 16 at 10am. Performance entry is open to all persons age 50 or better.  To enter in one of four categories (Music, Dance, Comedy and Drama), complete and submit the registration PDF form below before the deadline of August 18. Acts can be individual ($15 fee) or groups ($25 or $35 fee depending on group size), and performance time is limited to no more than three minutes.

To purchase the $3 ticket to attend (and pre-order an optional lunch for an additional $8), the Entrance form must be completed by August 18 as well if pre-ordering lunch.

For complete participation details, download the Flyer, Performer Registration and/or Attendance/Lunch forms (PDF format) below. Completed forms can be emailed to: seniorservices@forsythco.com

The Forsyth County Health Department is holding a Resource Health Fair on Friday, June 2, 2023 from 1:30pm to 3:30pm at their offices at 428 Canton Road. An Amerigroup Community Care representative will be present to answer questions about member benefits and services. Join for free giveaways, health information, resources and more. See details in the brochure PDF below.

Whether caring for someone with dementia or anticipating this role for the future, this seminar presented by Forsyth County Senior Services can help you get familiar with the resources available to you. The seminar will be held at Sexton Hall on Thursday, June 1, from 12:30 to 3pm, with lunch provided.  Registration is required, and is open until May 25. Register online at www.forsythco.com/seniors or call 770-781-2178. Download PDF below for more details.

There are a couple of very low-cost services available to County seniors and others for local transportation. One is Access Forsyth (formerly Dial-a-Ride), which charges only $2 each way (in-county locations only).

Another is Ride-Share, a service managed by the non-profit Common Courtesy, which uses Uber or Lyft drivers. For this, you must have a smartphone and credit card; rides are $2 each way, plus a $15 one-time registration fee.

See more details for both these services in the PDF below, or visit: 
www.forsythco.com/Departments-Offices/Public-Transportation/Ridesharing

AgeWell Forsyth Board member Barbara Piccolo went to our Capitol on March 13 to support SB84, a bill to protect the elder and disabled adults who may be victims of  financial exploitation. This Bill passed unanimously in the Senate with no opposition. Barbara explains, "As we watched the voting in the House, it also passed unanimously". Thanks to Vicki Johnson, who pulled strings in both the Senate and House to meet with our State Senators and Representatives." A special shout out and thanks to Debra Stokes, the Executive Director for GCOA (Georgia Council on Aging) and her staff, Nikaela Frederick (Deputy Director GCOA )and Patrice Parker.

Mark your calendars for Thursday, April 20, 2023 for the 19th Annual Aging Well Expo put on by Forsyth County Senior Services. It's from 10 am - 1 pm at the Forsyth Conference Center (Lanier Tech) and is free to attend. Visit 70+ booths of resources for active / senior adults, including free health screenings. We'll see you there! (Download PDF flyer below)

A little late, but here's a recap of our activities in 2022:

* Provided dog food/cat food for MOW participants.
* Provided incontinence products for MOW participants.
* Provided a $5,000 grant for the expenses of the "Sunshine Alzheimer's Club'' at Sexton Hall and for the tuition of those that cannot pay for the service.
* Provided a $5000 grant for the Meals on Wheels unfunded meals. (This may
exceed the $5000 amount in times of need.)
* Provided money for needed expenditures for MOW participants. (This includes blankets, Ensure; fans, microwaves to heat meals, etc.)
* Provided fresh fruit and vegetables for MOW participants every other week as needed or suggested by Senior staff in charge.
* Held a Valentine Dance for the active seniors with a DJ, food, door prizes, and entertainment.
* Board member(s) sent a little gift to MOW people every holiday
* Participated in the Senior Expo at the Forsyth Convention Center
* Financial sponsor of the Senior Expo.
* Provided a Cultural Arts contest with many categories and cash prizes.
* Took 42 Seniors on a bus trip with Diamond tours to "The Ark".
* Funded four Senior Grant proposals which included building deck ramps and patching roofs for individual seniors in need.
* Took 38 seniors to Memphis with Diamond Tours in September.
* Had a September "Hoe Down" Party for active seniors at Sexton Hall. Age Well provided the deserts, door prizes, music, and the teacher for line dancing. ( One of our Board members, Cindy Bowman, volunteered. She teaches dance.)
* Took 38 Seniors on a bus trip with Diamond Tours to the Biltmore House in
November.
* Arranged travel for 7 Seniors to go with Collette to Italy in September 2022.
* Participated in a Community Service Fund Raiser for AgeWell, the Historical Society, and the Senior Center, a "Haunted History Tour" of the Cumming Cemetery - over 200 people enjoyed!
* Provided pies for the November Thanksgiving feast at Central Hall.
* Provided a Thanksgiving meal for all Meals On Wheels participants.
* Provided a Christmas meal for all MOW participants including Christmas cards and candy canes.
* Provided 37 Kroger gift cards for all the Meals On Wheels volunteers.

We again had a booth at the Senior Services' 18th Annual Aging Well Expo in April. We got to meet a lot of people and tell them about our activities, particularly our trips. And we gave away four $25 gift certificates to Wal-Mart in a random drawing. See you again next year!

Our Helping Seniors (Small Grant) program is intended to assist any private citizen or organization (student, civic, etc.) who wishes to assist an individual or group of seniors by completing a project that could improve their living conditions or quality of life. Examples might include building a handicap ramp at the private home of a senior; adding senior-friendly activity equipment at a local park; developing and provisioning an activity program for a senior living facility; repairing/improving in-home accessibility or outdoor safety at a home.

A single grant of up to $1000 will be awarded each quarter. For 2nd quarter 2022, the application period opens on April 1; completed applications should be returned by the June 15 deadline; submissions will be reviewed and one grant will be awarded by July 15. Any government or agency permissions required would also need to be obtained by the applying person/organization.

Download the application document here; complete and return either by mail to:
Small Grant Program - AgeWell Forsyth Small Grants, P.O. Box 2206, Cumming, GA, 30028;
​or by email to agewelllinda@gmail.com.

Forsyth County Senior Services has resumed in-person programming at all locations!  Take advantage of some great opportunities to reconnect and gather safely while enjoying a variety of fun activities, including bingo, crafts, games, classes and plenty of entertainment and laughter with friends!  See details for all their offerings by visiting the Senior Services page on the County website. Note that they are also continuing some virtual learning and entertainment as well.