Who says the Post Office owns the adage “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night…?” Just ask the Friends of the Marion Council on Aging and they will tell you, “…We are moving ahead.”
On August 19, the gala fundraising event long planned by the Friends group took place on a magnificent coastal property located at 1 Water Street in spite of a day with heavy downpours and late afternoon threatening skies and murky atmosphere. Yes, in spite of all that, the venue, donated by property owners Laurie and Jamey Shachoy, was spectacular. The partygoers were treated to sweeping water views as well as live music and delectable hors d’oeuvres served by volunteers.
The primary purpose of the ticketed event was to raise funds for a pavilion planned for the grounds of what is now known as the Cushing Community Center, the former VFW building on Route 6. COA Board of Director Chairman Harry Norweb reported that at the end of the evening, estimates reached beyond $85,000 in hand for the project.
Avanna L’Homme, a 19-year-old Wareham native in attendance on August 19, was thrilled to see the conceptual design she created while attending Upper Cape Tech developed into a plan that is becoming a reality. “I’m so happy that this is finally happening … seeing money being raised, seeing how incorporated the town is with this project. I love it, I absolutely love it,” she said.
These days, the Marion COA department is being run and managed as a fully operational entity with Director Karen Gregory, her staff, and Town Administrator Jay McGrail overseeing operational key points. The emergence of such support has, after much contemplation, resulted in reorganization within the COA.
“The Planning Board is reviewing the bylaw for the COA Board of Directors, which has been in place since the 1970s,” said Norweb, who noted that volunteerism on the part of both people on the COA Board and those on the frontline of fundraising for the Friends is phenomenal.
Of the fundraising efforts, Norweb said that monies donated directly impact programming and projects that are geared towards seniors. The proposed 26-by-30-foot covered structure “will be the biggest of its kind in the area,” he stated.
Yet the building of a pavilion on the community center grounds is viewed and is being touted as a place where the entire community can come together for musicals, theater, parties, exercise classes, and so much more. Bringing seniors together with the wider community is viewed as a necessity for quality of life.
That is exemplified by the Friends embracing of the World Health Organization’s Global Age Friendly precepts. Noted on the WHO website are the statistics that, in 2006, 11 percent of the global population was part of the senior sector with projections that, by 2050, 22 percent would be in that category. The website states, “In the next 50 years, 80 percent of the world’s seniors will be living in developing countries,” prompting the health organization to recognize the importance of programs that help the aging.
To further the concepts and framework needed for quality of life for seniors, WHO has established for seniors, the FOMCOA fundraising venue displayed banners announcing various WHO precepts such as recreation, education, relaxation, socialization, celebration, support, participation, and inclusion. On the community center grounds, a recently completed walking path that is fully ADA compliant is ready for use.
“Marion is a World Health Organization Age Friendly community,” Norweb asserted with a smile.
The Marion COA currently provides programming and services that span everything from shopping to health screening to artistic expression and educational presentation, and so much more.
To learn more about the Friends of the Marion COA, visit fmcoa.org or call the COA at 508-758-3570 for programming information.
By Marilou Newell