As the year winds down, I am feeling grateful to everyone in our AustinUP online community for your interest and enthusiasm. But today, I will kindly request a little more of you. I am asking for your financial support of our work to shape the future of aging in Austin. Now is the time. Your tax-deductible contribution to this movement is critical.
Looking back on 2016, I am proud to say that AustinUP has made great strides and accomplishments:
- Helped create and promote the Age-friendly Austin Action Plan– and worked with the Mayor and City Council to get it adopted
- Hosted the first-ever 55+ in ATX Job & Volunteer Fair
- Helped create and expand a network of Austin technology innovators, resources and investors working in the aging space
- Served as fiscal agent and “incubator” for the newly formed Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging
- Connected with local universities, researchers and students to promote research related to aging
- Hosted community focus groups on a range of topics, including “What Makes a Business Age-friendly?” and “What Makes a Neighborhood Age-friendly?”
As we head into 2017, our efforts will step up a notch as we work with our community partners and the City of Austin to:
- Implement the Age-friendly Austin Plan
- Produce a series of job fairs in multiple Austin neighborhoods specifically for those 55+
- Host an Aging Innovation Summit to help entrepreneurs working in the aging space bring innovative ideas to market faster
- Reach out to businesses and encourage them to help us change “old” attitudes about aging
And we’re taking our message to increasingly wider audiences. I’m proud to report that AustinUP has been chosen to present at several 2017 conferences, including SXSW Interactive 2017. Our panel presentation will discuss how technology can help people age in place.
As you consider your year-end gifts and donations, I ask for your support of AustinUP. Please help us build upon the momentum we have created to establish a region that responds to aging as a dynamic force, rather than a stagnant place. As our slogan says, “Aging. Everyone’s Doing It.” No matter what your age, join us! You’ll find details on our website. If you need more information, contact me directly at [email protected] or 512.963.3191.
On behalf of AustinUP and our Board of Directors, thank you for helping us move this work forward!
Teresa Sansone Ferguson
Executive Director, AustinUP
AustinUP Board of Directors:
Angela Atwood (Chair)
Executive Director, College Houses
Longtime advocate and community leader working on behalf of Austin seniors
Mark Carlson, M.D.
Geriatrician and Founder/Director of Be Well, MD
Cyndi Cummings
Owner, Cummings Realty Associates (specializing in older adults)
Arnold Garcia
Community leader and retired Editorial Page Editor, Austin American-Statesman
Char Hu
CEO, The Helper Bees (a startup that connects seniors directly to local helpers)
Heather Potts
Director of Sales and Marketing, Westminster (senior community)
Steve Scheibal
Director of Media Relations and Community Engagement, Dell Medical School
Alberto Torres
District Manager, Walgreens
Margo Weisz
Partner, City Lights Group
Edwin Young
Owner and Certified Senior Advisor, Right at Home In-home Care and Assistance
Sly Majid, Chief Service Officer in Mayor Steve Adler’s office, serves as a Board advisor.