Friday, August 24, 2007
Not long ago, my oldest daughter came to visit from Dallas, TX with her family. We took the grandchildren, Matthew-7 and Camden-4, to ImaginOn one afternoon and Cam had a marvelous time playing with the doll houses there. When it came time to leave, he did not want to go. We had to promise that Grandpa would make him his own house. We found plans on the Internet for a castle and the project was underway. This weekend, we’ll be shipping the castle to Cam who will hopefully spend many an hour playing with his knights and horses.
I share this story with you because in thinking of Cam’s castle, I realized that many of us think of our homes as our castles. We’re safe and secure in our fortresses. The old saying, “familiarity breeds comfort” really does apply. That’s what The Shepherd’s Center of Charlotte is all about - helping you to stay in your castle for as long as possible. In order to do that, it is our job to provide programs and services which address the needs of the older adult community.
You may have already heard that The Center has lowered the eligibility age for participants from 65 to 55. We did this for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, we want to be able to serve as many in the community as possible, and by limiting participation to those who are 65 and older, we are limiting our services and programs. Second, believe it or not, the Baby Boomers are approaching retirement and many of them are ready to use the knowledge they’ve obtained throughout their lives to benefit the community through volunteerism.
Let me throw some Baby Boomer stats at you. If you’re a Baby Boomer, you were born between 1946 and 1964. Seventy-eight million of you are now straddling the half-century mark - half have passed it by and the rest will in the next few years. Every seven seconds another Baby Boomer turns 50! Over the next 10 years, all Baby Boomers will have crossed that milestone and the leading edge Boomers will be facing 70! Baby Boomers are responsible for over $2 trillion in consumption and thre’s no let up in sight.
The Shepherd’s Center of Charlotte, along with all businesses and organizations with products and services for seniors, need to be prepared. Are we ready for the onslaught? Do we have the right services for this unique population? Do we have the right programs to keep the interest of the Baby Boomer? These are questions we’ll be trying to answer in the years ahead.
Meanwhile, The Center is continuing to offer those programs and services that have been popular throughout the years. Our Adventures in Learning Fall Session will begin on Monday, October 1 with the General Session at 10:00. Our Education Committee and staff have put together an excellent program for you. For the details, please be sure to visit our Adventures in Learning page by clicking here.
Our Travel Program has also expanded. I’m very proud of our Travel Committee and staff for the wonderful trips that are planned through the end of 2008. They’ve even added some new trips for this Fall. We’re very excited about the addition of a Sunday trip to Davidson for lunch and a matinee of “Driving Miss Daisy” on November 11 and on December 11, we’ve planned another trip to Newberry, SC for a wonderful presentation of “Christmas in Dublin”with the Three Irish Tenors. Shepherd’s Center staff will try to accompany our travelers on all the trips. I just might save the Newberry trip for myself. It promises to be a great adventure. For more on our Travel Program, click here.
For the past year, our Computer Committee has been talking about offering a Digital Managing and Editing Class for those who wish to learn how to get their digital photos off the camera, into the computer and either printed or e-mailed to family and friends. It’s taken a great deal of thought and expertise, but this class is now ready to go. We’re offering the first class on September 18, 20, 24 & 25. Unfortunately, this class is already full and there is a long waiting list for the next class, which may not be until December. Because of the popularity of this class, we’re working on trying to set up an alternate location to teach additional classes. We’ll keep you posted. Meanwhile, we’re ready to go with our other computer classes. For a complete run-down, click here.
And, last but not least, we’re very excited about our Senior Choices Summit, which is scheduled for Tuesday, November 13 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. This event will be held at Pritchard Memorial Baptist Church and will feature presentations focusing on legal issues for the older adult. You don’t want to miss this inaugural event, which is FREE! Seating is limited, so please get your reservation in early by contacting The Center, 704.365.1995 or jwright@shepherdscharlotte.org. For more on the Summit, click here.
I’d like to close by thanking those of you who have taken time out of your day to contact me with positive and not-so-positive input. My staff and I cannot make The Shepherd’s Center bigger and better without feedback from those whom we serve. Your opinions are important to us and we welcome them with open arms.