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Date Set for Summit on Issues Facing Older Adults
in Dare County
Plans for a summit to address health and safety issues facing Dare
County’s older adults began in February 2008 when the Dare County Board
of Commissioners asked Commissioners Virginia Tillett and Allen Burrus
to spearhead the effort. After six months of meetings and work, the
summit has taken shape as an all-day event that will take place on
Friday, March 27, 2009 at the College of the Albemarle campus across
from the Chesley Mall in Manteo.
One of the first things Tillett and Burrus did in the early planning
stages was to involve key members of the community in order to gauge the
concerns of seniors and their families so those issues can be addressed.
``We met and asked for help in developing an agenda for the summit that
would be relevant to the needs of our senior population,’’ explained
Tillett.
Meeting monthly, the State of the Older Adult Adults Conference
Committee has grown to number almost twenty members with a variety of
skills that will insure the success of the venture. Former Commissioner
Moncie “Punk” Daniels and Lucille McGrath, President of the Outer Banks
Women’s Club were recently appointed co-chairs of the event. Linda
Hester is serving as Program Chairperson.
The conference will feature keynote speakers and breakout sessions where
participants will identify the most pressing safety and health needs of
seniors. Task forces will then be developed to assist in finding
solutions to address those needs.
``We do not intend to simply identify the needs of seniors in our
county. We plan to follow the conference up with task forces to resolve
these issues,’’ explained co-chair Lucille McGrath, Outer Banks Women’s
Club President.
The committee is asking businesses and organizations for donations to
help supplement the cost of the conference so there will be no cost to
those wishing to attend.
``Commissioner Allen Burrus and I worked to lay the groundwork for the
conference and have now handed the project over to the committee so that
the conference will best represent the thoughts and concerns of the
entire community,’’ commented Commissioner Virginia Tillett. She
explained that another important aspect of the summit is to determine
whether seniors and their families are aware of existing services.
Refreshments and a light lunch will be served. Registration forms will
be distributed throughout the county with a registration deadline set
for March 1, 2009.
For more information, contact Older Adult Services at 475-5635.
# # #
 Lucille
McGrath, Co-Chair for the State of the Older Adult Conference Committee
holds a bumper sticker that reads ``How Are Our Older Adults’’ which
will be distributed throughout the county to remind people of the public
forum the group is organizing to address the needs of the senior
citizens of Dare County. Committee members include (seated-left to
right): Julia Haywood, Mary Conway, Marlene Williamson, Dare County
Commission Chairman Warren Judge, Co-Chairs Lucille McGrath and Moncie
``Punk’’ Daniels, Bonnie Brown, Sharon Wilson, Social Services Director
Jay Burrus, (standing left to right) Sandy Farrow, Judy Link, Brandi
Rheubottom, Lynda Hester, Marjorie Midgett, Tim White, Ellie Ward and
Susan Scurria. Committee members not pictured include: Gail Scarborough,
Geraldine Farrow, Lovey Moore, Janet Jarrett, Pat Haresch, Carrie
Holmes, Van Smith, Anne Thomas and Commissioners Virginia Tillett and
Allen Burrus. |
