By DOTTY NIST
A small but very motivated group of 50-plus-age south Walton County residents recently shared an array of ideas for expansion of activity options for their age group south of the bay.
The newly-organized working group held its second meeting on March 30 at the Walton County District 5 office in Grayton Beach, with about a dozen in attendance.
District 5 Commissioner Cindy Meadows has been serving in a leadership role with the initiative, which began with residents requesting expanded services and facilities over current offerings for seniors south of the bay.
The John Horton Senior Center, located on CR-393 North in a manufactured building, is the current facility for seniors south of the bay. A hot lunch is served at the center to seniors 60 and over Monday through Friday. Among the daily activities at the center are bingo, live music, and trivia.
At the outset of the March 30 meeting, Jennifer Clauson reported that she had started a Facebook group, South Walton Senior Activity Group Startup. Anyone can join, and there are currently 65 members. She invited any member to post items on the page. Clauson discussed also setting up a way for group members who are not on Facebook to be contacted by email with updates.
One of the first topics to come up was an official name for the new group. Suggestions had been solicited, and among the names suggested had been: Emerald Life Club, Third Act, Emerald Coast Activity Club, Life Experience Club, South Walton Social Center, Platinum Club, New Horizons, Living in Paradise Senior Club, Final Nest Senior Club, Young at Heart, Coastal Seniors, Sexy Seniors Squad, Senior Beach Bums, and SCOUP (Senior Continuing Onward and Upward Progress).
A list of the names was passed around to attendees, who marked their selections on the sheet. The outcome was that the top five names were South Walton Social Center, South Walton Seniors, Coastal Seniors, Emerald Coast Seniors, and Young at Heart. Community members may weigh in with their preferences on the Facebook page.
Also emphasized in the group’s discussion were plans for a mid-May public kick-off event to garner the public’s support to make the envisioned new facility, programs and services a reality.
Potential locations for the event and what would be featured were discussed. The latter included live music and refreshments and possibly vendors and community service group booths, along with opportunities for attendees to participate in exercise and wellness activities and demonstrations.
Meadows agreed to seek funding from the county for the event.
Attendees continued to brainstorm on possible services and programs that could be featured at the new facility. A walking track was one of the items brought up. Educational trips have been among the possibilities under discussion since the initiative began, and there were indications that some of these might be arranged for sooner rather than later.
Also brought up was the challenge of transportation for seniors who are no longer able to drive and how it can keep them from benefitting from opportunities that would otherwise be available to them.
Meadows commented that Walton County is looking at public transit which she believed would be “part and parcel” of the goals of the group.
Joann Saucier commented on a practice in some communities of younger seniors volunteering to help older seniors and “adopting neighborhoods.”
Another meeting of the group was tentatively scheduled for April 20, and the date for the kick-off event is to be announced once finalized. Updates on the group’s plans and efforts are to be provided through local media, on the Walton County website, www.co.walton.fl.us, and on the South Walton Senior Activity Group Startup page on Facebook.