AT THE FEET OF OUR ELDERS
By: Sandra M. Jones
March 2006
We are living in challenging times. Families are struggling to stay together. Many are plagued with death, illness, crime and no finances. Growing up in Cumminsville, the elders shared their struggles and hopes for the future.

The community felt safe and nurturing in those days. I can recall walking to school feeling a sense of belonging. The elders watched you as far as they could and for some crazy reason we believed they had eyes in the back of their heads.

Those times are long gone and many of us work very hard to provide a safe and nourishing environment to young people today. They have a long road to travel and they will need the entire community to get involved and make it happen. The challenges they face today were the elders worst nightmare. Today it is reality for many of our children.

The elements today are full of many uncertainties. I asked who's watching our families? The time has come for us to get together and make this world a better place. SO-ACT will leave a legacy that embraces the children and watches over their safety and well-being. We need people to give an hour or two of their time and skills to shape the future we want to leave for our children, and their children and so on. We have the tools to do just that. I encourage you to contact your community council or SO-ACT 513-237-7454, or sandrajones@blackage.org or your neighborhood church or school, and do your part.

SO-ACT's theme for 2006 is: "At the Feet of our Elders". Our vision is to engage the old and young in intergenerational settings. This will have a tremendous impact on the future of our youth. The world is forever changing. People are living longer and concerned about aging well. It is very important that we ENHANCE our skills and train our young people to think globally. Technology will continue to impact our lives and how we live. The Gerontology field will need specialists to master the aging process. The sociological and physiological effects of aging will have a major impact on the cost of health care and future services. As society ages, people will need services and care. The grassroots campaign for good health and prevention is needed more so now than ever before.

The Federal Budget will cut funding by 35 billion dollars in the next five years. The states and local governments are finding it very difficult to fund society's needs. I ask where will the money come from? The system cannot care for those aging now, and for those thousands of baby boomers who turn sixty every seven seconds. Many of the baby boomers are caring for their aging parents, their children and working a full time job. This sort of stress will age anyone. Soon the baby boomers will need services and again where will the funding come from? It's time we pull our resources together.

THE TIME IS NOW. YOU KNOW THE ISSUES SO-ACT.

For more info contact Sandra at (513) 861-2790.