Age Spots by Ruth Dockins
On June 3rd, Southeast Missouri Silver Haired Legislature (SHL) delegates met and elected officers: Connie Larrew of Poplar Bluff - Chair, Ray Freeman of Doniphan - Vice Chair, and Doug Austin of Cape Girardeau - Recording Secretary. This organizational meeting was attended by the following members representing 18 counties in Region 2; Martha Peters - Bollinger, Connie Larrew - Butler, Doug Austin, Glenda Hoffmeister, Loretta Schneider - Cape, Barbara Rogers - Carter, Janie Lamar - Dunklin, Rebecca Inman and Mary Sue Wooten - Iron, John Kelly - Reynolds, Ray Freeman - Ripley, Susan Pobst – Scott and Minnie May - Wayne.
Missouri’s Silver Haired Legislature was founded in 1973, the first such organization in the nation. SHL is composed of fifteen volunteers from each of the ten statewide Area Agencies on Aging. These 150 senior advocates, elected by their peers, identify and advocate for issues critical to older Missourians.
SHL member Doug Austin of Cape Girardeau says "The age of our senior citizens does not automatically eliminate our ability to remain an active contributing member of society. We may drive a little slower but we get where we're going, and in the Great State of Missouri, we go to the polls by the hundreds of thousands! 77% of our Senior Citizens vote!”Anyone interested in learning further details about the priorities of the Silver Haired Legislature, or serving as a SHL delegate, is encouraged to contact Doug Austin@ ldaustin1@charter.net
