Age Spots by Ruth Dockins
On June 14th, Silver Haired Legislature (SHL) board members met in Jefferson City to establish their area of concern and support for the 1,000,000 senior citizens of Missouri. Board Members from Region two are Connie Larrew of Poplar Bluff and Doug Austin of Cape Girardeau.
From a list of 54 items, the Bills Committee selected 24 specific proposals to present to the 150 Silver Haired Legislators at their October meeting. The final list of five priorities and two alternates will then be presented to our Missouri State Representatives, Senators and Lt. Governor and published to all Senior Centers across the state.
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, 77% of our seniors go to the polls!”
Anyone interested in learning further details about the priorities of the Silver Haired Legislature, or serving as a SHL delegate, is encouraged to contactDoug Austin - ldaustin1@charter.net or Connie Larrew - cjlarrew@yahoo.com
