13 to 1 Vote

Last evening (Thursday, 09/28) at the Expanded Budget Committee of the county legislature, the legislature voted 13 to 1 to restore Lifelong’s county funding of $42,225 to the Target Budget. The motion was made by Frank Proto and seconded by Nathan Shinagawa. Martha Robertson and Duane T. Randall had their hands in the air to second as well. Several of the legislators spoke in support of the motion stating that they had heard from many seniors by both email and phone. Tim Joseph was out of town. The only person who voted against the motion was Michael Koplinka-Loehr of who lives in Ithaca's Forest Home Neighborhood and represents District 11 (Town of Ithaca, East).

Funding was also restored to the Rural Libraries (11-2), the Human Service Coalition (11-3), the Ithaca Breast Cancer Alliance(10-4), and to Cornell Cooperative Extension (12-2).

Thank you all for all of the phone calls and other work you did in gaining the support of the Legislature. If possible, please email or call your legislator and say thank you using their vote to make a commitment to the elders of Tompkins County.

This was the second of four meetings following an agenda to work through the budget. After these, there will be two meetings where any legislator can bring up any budget item to reconsider. We hope Lifelong will be safe during these meetings because our vote was so high but we can’t take anything for granted.

Again, thank you all for your help and support these past several weeks.

Volunteers Needed at SPCS

The Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service Crisisline provides counseling to those in distress 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Now is the time to become a Crisisline Volunteer. The fall training begins Monday, September 25th. For more information, please contact Christine at:(607)272-1505 or email: SPCScrisisline@verizon.net or visit their on the web at: www.suicidepreventionandcrisisservice.org

The Dictionary Course with Barry Adams

Barry Adams from the Village of Brooktondale, NY has volunteered to teach the course, The Dictionary, Usage, and Usagists; or Hunting, Bagging, Sorting, and Tagging Solecisms for Fun (If Not Profit). The first class was this afternoon and covered many of the common mishaps writers and speakers of English worry about making mistakes in spelling, pronuciation, grammar, or word choice. (i.e. Think potato, nuclear, dangling participles and split infinitives, infer vs. imply or uninterested vs. disinterested.) Mr. Adams is retired professor of English from Cornell University and is a member of the Lifelong Learning Advisory Committee.

This class has three additional sessions that will take place on Thursday, September 28; October 5, 12 from 1:30 - 3:30 PM at Lifelong.

Farewell to Valerie Treadwell

Valerie Treadwell (left) has been the Northside-Southside Program Coordinator since last November. Today is her last day working for Lifelong. It has been wonderful to have her energy and enthusiasm at Lifelong. We wish her the best and thank her for all her all her work at Lifelong. Maxine Rachael B. Hunter (right) is our staff person through COFA's Title V Program and is the Program Assistant of NSSS. This afternoon members of the NSSS Program had a good-bye lunch. Best wishes Valerie!

Community Senior Chorus

Just gearing up for the fall is the Community Senior Chorus with Director Nancy Radloff. Nancy has been the Lifelong Chorus Director for just over 3 years. In addition to working with the Lifelong Chorus she is also the Organist and Director of Music of St. John's Episcopal Church. The Chorus meets every Monday at 1:45 PM. Joining the Chorus is a great way to meet others and share your love of singing with the community. To join the group, stop in any Monday or call (607) 273-1511.

The Community Senior Chorus will be performing as follows:

Monday, December 11th at NE Seniors Group Mtg
Wednesday, December 13th at McGraw House at 1PM
Monday, December 18th at Broome Dev. at 1PM

Handmade Gift Shop: Volunteers Needed!

Betty Harris has been voluntering since 1981 and is now the Manager of the Handmade Gift Shop. The Gift Shop is open Monday - Friday from 10AM - 4PM at Lifelong. You can find books by local authors and unique handmade crafts at reasonable prices. Currently the Gift Shop is looking for additional volunteers for this fall. Volunteers Positions are available now. Stop in and discover a new keep sake or sign-up to volunteer.

Strength Training Class

The Strength Training Class meets every Monday at 12:30 PM and on Thursdays at 11:30 AM with Instructor Debbie Bosanko. The class is especially designed for older adults and helps build muscle strength which is proven to reduce the pain of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The class is looking for new members to join this fall, spots are available, feel free to stop in and try a class.

Senior Profile: Karen Brower

Karen Brower lives in Jacksonville, NY and is a retired Graphic Artist. Having been a member of PETA, Karen is an Advocate for Animal Rights and wants to see a safe dog park in Ithaca. She hopes to go through pet therapy training with her present fox terrier, Jake. Karen participates in the weekly Clay Class on Mondays and the Tuesday Watercolor Class. For a long time Karen was uninterested in coming to Lifelong because she didn't identify as a "senior." She continues to come to Lifelong because of the creative learning opportunities and chance to meet other creative people. Karen's love of nature and photography has sent her on many wild excursions locally and out of state.

Help Save County Funding for Lifelong!

Tompkins County tentative budget cuts hurts a number of local programs and agencies, Lifelong is one of them. In the current tentative budget, Lifelong has been removed from the target on-going budget of the county. In the current tentative budget, funding will be provided in 2007 for a transition period, but all funding would end in 2008. Even the one-time funding for 2007 is in jeopardy until the final budget is approved in November, but it is essential to the survival of Lifelong that we continue to be funded and supported by the county in the coming years. The county funding for Lifelong is $42,225 and is the single largest source of income (8% of Lifelong's total budget).

Many of our grants and contracts require a local match of funds to receive funding. For instance the RSVP contract with the Corporation for National and Community Service is just over $40,000 and requires a 30% match of local funds. Most of our contracts with the County Office for the Aging require a 25% local match. So if the county funding were to be discontinued, we would be forced to end programs and lose thousands of dollars in funding we receive from the Federal and State governments.

Individual contributions from Participants and Members total 23% of our total budget at Lifelong. We'd like our members and friends to continue supporting Lifelong by contacting the County Legislature. You can do this by writing a letter, making a telephone call, or speaking at one of the public hearings. In your own words let the legislature know what Lifelong means to you and urge them to reinstate into the county's "Target Budget" and that public funding should continue.

You can mail the Legislature your thoughts by sending a letter to:

Tompkins County Legislature, 320 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850

The County Legislature meets at 5:30 PM at the Court House (320 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY). If you're interested in speaking at the public information and public hearing meetings on the budget, please join us during one of these meetings:

• Tuesday, September 19, 2006
• Tuesday, October 3, 2006
• Tuesday, October 17, 2006
• Tuesday, November 7, 2006
• Tuesday, November 21, 2006

There will be a Public Information Meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 21st at 7PM at GIAC (318 N. Albany Street). A Public Hearing regarding the budget will be held on Tuesday, November 14th at 7PM at the Legislative Chambers in the Court House.

The Essentials of Medicare Workshop 09/27

Wednesday, September 27, 2006 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM

• Learn the basics of Medicare, including Part A and B
• Get overview of Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans
• Learn about the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Program (EPIC)
• Get information on "Extra Help" available throught the Social Security Department

Speakers: Eric Hausman, Sarah Jane Blake, & Myrna Koldin

For more information contact Lifelong at (607) 273-1511 or Tompkins County Office for the Aging at (607) 274-5482. This event is free, no registration is required!

Schedule Your Flu Shot Appointment ONLINE!

Starting sometime in October Tompkins County residents will be able to schedule flu shot appointments online by visiting www.tompkins-co.org/health/flu. The Health Department is very excited about this web application that gives residents the ability to make an appointment for a flu shot for themselves or other family members at a clinic of their choice as well as having access to up-to-date information about the flu season and county flu clinics. For individuals who do not have access to a computer or the internet, appointments can be made by calling the Tompkins County Health Department at (607) 274-6616, Monday through Friday from 9AM - 4PM. It's that easy! This website is expected to be up and running by early October. (Please remember that internet access is available at Lifelong during our Open Computer Labs).

German Class

Gertrude Vrabel is from Austria and came to the US in 1952. Getrude has been teaching since she was 18 years old and here locally at CSMA for the last 50 years. Originally her husband, Ernst began volunteering to teach German at Lifelong in the 1980’s. Before Ernst passed away Gertrude promised him that she would continue volunteering to teach. Gertrude teaches German because she loves the language, the culture, and people who want to learn. Her classes are very enthusiastic and engaging. Some participants discover that learning a language can be difficult, where others catch on more quickly. Newcomers and beginners are welcome. Classes are held every Wednesday from 1:30 - 3PM with an emphasis on speaking, grammar, reading, and translation.

PLAN IT! Pre-Retirement Seminars

Lifelong offers comprehensive pre-retirement planning seminars, PLAN IT! We have nothing to sell and enjoy educating community members of every topic that a person should consider when approaching retirement. The time is right to plan for an active post-retirement life. This fall seminars will be offered on:

• Tuesday, October 3, 2006 from 9 M to 5PM
• Tuesday, November 21 & 28, 2006 from 8AM to 12 Noon
• Tuesday, December 12, 2006 from 9AM to 5PM

PLAN IT! will offer a plan for economic security, emotional wellness, and health & independent lifestyles. Topics covered include: fulfillment during life changes, Social Security & Medicare, Advance Care Directives, Working/Volunteering after Retirement, Wills and Power of Attorney documents, & Paying for Long Term Care. The cost for the seminars is $100 per person, $50 for spouse/partner. If you're interested contact Sarah Jane Blake at Lifelong for additional information at (607) 273-1511.

Gadabout Informational Session (09/15)

Gadabout is a nonprofit, door-to-door, demand-responsive service for senior and disabled residents of Tompkins County. On Friday, September 15th at 10:30 AM RSVP will be sponsoring an informational session at Lifelong for people interested in volunteering with Gadabout. If you’re considering becoming a volunteer driver or escort - you won't want to miss this chance. Current volunteers and staff will be available to offer an overview of this service and share about their experiences and answer any questions you might have.

The Titanic Re-visited

This afternoon Pete Scala gave an engaging presentation on the sinking of the Titanic. Rudyard Kipling's poetry spanned the glory and the gore of The Sea: ...in his 'Song of The Dead'..."We have fed our Sea for a thousand years - And she calls us still unfed." On its maiden voyage across the Atlantic, along a great Circle at twenty knots speed setting a new record, a moonless dead calm sea, midnight 15 April 1912. Next week on Friday, September 15th from 10 AM to 12 Noon, we will be showing the movie, Titanic (1997) directed by James Cameron. If you haven't seen the movie, feel free to join us for a viewing and a discussion that follows.

A New Resident in Newfield

Eleanor Whitted from Newfield has been volunteering for Lifelong and helping with the Senior Circle mailings for the past ten years. Last month her sister, Mary Kouf moved from Union Grove, WI to live with her. Eleanor was quick to introduce her sister to Lifelong. Yesterday they went on a trip to Mumford, Genesee Country Village & Museum. Then again this morning, Mary received health insurance counseling during a Medicare Clinic. They will participate in as many of the fall walks as they can. They also plan to set up a free email account during an Open Lab Time. If you get an opportunity to meet Mary please giver her a warm welcome to our community. (Above Picture, Left to Right: Eleanor Whitted, Mary Kouf)

McGraw House Tag Sale 09/09

McGraw House will have a tag sale, rain or shine, Saturday, September 9th from 9:00 to noon at 221 South Geneva Street, Ithaca. The sale features a LARGE selection of household items, furnishings, canes and walkers, office supplies and bric-a-brac. Free face painting is available from 9:30-10:30AM by Cami Johnson and Robert Kibbee with a bagpipe performace at 11:30AM. Hotdogs, baked goodies, hand-made crafts art art work will also be available. Proceeds from the sale benefit McGraw House and our Resident Council.

Celebrating 35 Years of Service!

This October will be Jean Alve's 35th year of Calling for our Social Dances at Lifelong. Jean Alve is from Spencer, NY and has a large following that come every week. Beginning to more advanced dancers are welcome to Square, Line, Polka, and Round on Fridays from 2:00 - 4:00 PM at Lifelong. The last Friday of the month there is a dish-to-pass from 4:00 - 4:30 PM. Everyone is welcome!

Pick-up or Drop-off Coupons

Starting in September Lifelong will offer collected coupons for individuals to pick-up. Thanks to Patricia Pesoli-Bishop for spearheading this coupon-share project. If you're looking for coupons for food items or non-food items, stop by Lifelong and located in our Lounge we have envelops labeled with by the month available for anyone’s use. If you'd like to donate any unused coupons, feel free to drop them off as well. Thanks to everyone who cuts, sorts, and donates the coupons.