Reported by Leslie Bagby
President Dale Lowe called the meeting to order right at noon. Corey Wilson led the pledges and Doug Brown gave the invocation. Mary Reynolds led us in correctly reciting the “FOUR WAY TEST.” Russell Gallahan was our greeter at the top of the stairs and Chelsea True checked-in and introduced our visitors and guests.
Mary Reynolds and Michael Portman presented Skeeter Miller with his Paul Harris Fellowship. Skeeter owns The County Line Barbeque and has supported Operation Vacation for many years. The Rotary Club of Austin deeply appreciates Skeeter and The County Line.
Past President Ladd Pattillo was called on and explained why he’s a proud member of the Rotary Club of Austin.
Mary Reynolds and Jon Yates thanked the RCA for all the volunteers that volunteered to come out to Pecan Springs for the Books for Me event.
Don Busby reminded everyone about the Texas Wines social event he and his wife are hosting at the Circle C Community Center this Friday (May 19th) at 6 pm.
After Fellowship Arnold Garcia introduced Teresa Sansone Ferguson, executive director of AustinUP. This non-profit organization was formed as a result of the Mayors Task Force on Aging.
The task force looked at what Austin is doing right and where the city can do better for seniors. Teresa reported that 40 years ago the average age of an Austinite was 26 years old. Austin currently has the nation’s fastest growing population of people aged 55 – 64 and the second fastest growing population for people 65 and up.
She stated that the AustinUP motto is “Aging: Everyone’s doing it!” This organization is looking at how Austin will support seniors in a variety of areas including healthy living, independence, housing, transportation and communication. AustinUP seeks to connect all the entities that support older Austinites and collaborate with other non-profits to prevent duplication of services and confusion.
Austin was declared an “Age Friendly City” by the AARP and was designated one of the “Best Cities for Successful Aging” in March 2017 by The Milken Institute.