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 [email protected].

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.
 

In 2020, Age Well Forsyth provided to Forsyth County seniors the following:

* Dog and cat food for the participants of the Meals on Wheels program
* Incontinence products for those that requested them on the “Meals on Wheels” Program.
* Had a provider for cat and dog care at no expense to seniors on MOW program
* Provided Senior Center with quarterly grants for needed personal items for individual seniors such  as wheelchairs, walkers, insure, small repairs, fans, heaters, etc.
* Provided a quarterly grant open to all Forsyth County seniors Called “Helping Seniors Grant”.
This year, Age Well cut trees and did needed yard work for one senior, put gutters on one senior’s home, helped Hopewell Roofers put a roof on a seniors home that had been covered with a tarp for over a year, and replaced a garage door and window at a seniors home.
* “Sunshine Club” Alzheimer’s group support each year - curtailed due to Centers closing.
* Grants to the “Unfunded Meals on Wheels” program.  This year, due to the covid-19 pandemic, there was a greater response for meals, thus this fund had to be increased beyond the normal $5,000.
* Day trips and over- night trips at reduced cost for seniors. This was severely limited this year due to COVID-19.
* Valentine Party for the Seniors at Sexton Hall in February. There was entertainment, door prizes and food.  No cost to the seniors. This was the ONLY one we could have this year.
* Bought a new dishwasher for the center and matched a grant for silverware.
* In February, Age Well began to fund a breakfast program for the seniors at Charles Place.  This ended as the center was closed in March.
* Provided fresh produce to the “Meals on Wheels” participants that probably were staying at home afraid to go to the stores. This lasted most of the summer.
* Provided masks for the senior Center to give away to any senior that asked for one. These were paper and cloth.
* Two of Age Well’s board members always send something to the “Meals on Wheels” participants for every holiday.  They do this at their own cost.
* At Thanksgiving, Age Well provided a canned ham, canned green beans, canned potatoes, fresh lettuce and tomatoes for the” Meals on Wheels” participants and other needy seniors as per the Forsyth County Senior Center. Some received Ensure. Two of our board members sent  individual pies also.
* At Christmas, Age Well provided canned beef and gravy, black beans with rice and Christmas cards and candy canes to over 250 “Meals On Wheels” participants and other needy seniors.
 
 
 
 

Forsyth County has undertaken a large study on the issue of public transportation. Your feedback is very important, and there are several ways to share your thoughts, including a survey and a virtual public meeting. Although you may currently drive, have you considered your future transportation needs? There may come a time when you don't want to drive or when you will need alternate means of transportation. How will you get to and from your appointments and outings? Would you benefit from a more comprehensive public transportation system?

For more information about the study and to take the survey online, go to the Link Forsyth website by clicking HERE. English and Spanish options are available. 

You can also attend a Virtual Public Open House Transportation Meeting – they are Wednesday, August 12, 11 a.m. – noon, or Wednesday, August 12, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Click HERE for more information related to the virtual meetings, including the meeting link and phone number.

Due to high demand, we have reviewed and awarded small grants for the remainder of calendar year 2020. Submissions for 2021 will open on January 1, 2021.