The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) has selected York County to be one of six communities from around the U.S. to participate in a Livable Communities Collaborative funded by the MetLife Foundation. York County was selected for the Collaborative based upon the Community Foundation’s Embracing Aging Initiative, which plans to make York County a great place to age well. The Embracing Aging Initiative will receive technical assistance and networking opportunities to help move its action plan forward. The Collaborative will bring national exposure to the project and offer training on changing people’s perceptions of aging, one of the priorities identified by the Embracing Aging committee.
York County Community Foundation’s Embracing Aging Initiative has spent the last year convening focus groups and exploring best practices to help York County become a great place to age well. The results of the study will be released in a report on October 17, at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute’s (OLLI’s) Founders’ Lecture and Luncheon at Penn State York. The program runs from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the conference center of the Main Classroom Building at the campus. To register, email olli@yk.psu.edu. Registration is $30 for OLLI members and $35 for non-OLLI members. Attendees will be able to voice their opinions and provide feedback in a lively and interactive discussion on how to make York more age-friendly. The report will be available the same day on the Community Foundation’s website at www.yccf.org.
“Creating opportunities for people to age well improves the quality of life for individuals and families,” said Bill Hartman, President of York County Community Foundation, “and creates a community that is an attractive place for people to live for the rest of their lives.”
A livable community for all ages is one that has affordable and appropriate housing, adequate transportation and mobility options, accessible health and human services, as well as workforce, volunteer and community engagement opportunities that enable citizens to thrive. Together, these amenities help to maximize individual personal independence and quality of life while adding to the economic, civic and social vitality of the community at large.
The six communities selected to participate in the Livable Communities Collaborative are: Bellevue, WA; Larimer County, CO; Miami Gardens, FL; Monroe County (Rochester area), NY; Sedgwick County (Wichita), KS; and York County, PA. During the next six months, communities participating in the Collaborative will learn from one another and from best practices derived from the experiences of n4a and other organizations and communities that have engaged in livability. n4a also will share lessons learned through this initiative and will publish a compendium of experiences and achievements. For more information about the Livable Communities Collaborative contact Stephanie K. Firestone, Livable Communities Collaborative Director, at sfirestone@n4a.org or 202.580.6021.
For more information about the York County Embracing Aging Initiative, contact Jane Conover, Vice President of Community Investment, York County Community Foundation at 717-848-3733 or jconover@yccf.org.
