President’s Letter
Our first meeting of the New Year was a great success. It was wonderful to see all the smiling faces – returning and new. The Program Committee outdid themselves with the selection of Officer Sillitoe (the Watershed Manager) as our first speaker. His presentation was informative and his visual aids were eye-opening, especially the picture of the abandoned SUV that will live in the Watershed forever.
The next meeting on February 20 will be equally exciting and very senior-oriented. I won’t give the show away, but try hard to join us for this very pertinent presentation. We will have a live demonstration of something that could impact some of us or those dear to us.
Our volunteers are working away on the new activities I mentioned in last month’s Perspectives. We are close to a date for the Shredder Event, so start gathering up those documents/papers that need proper disposal for your protection. Identity theft is an ongoing and increasing crime, particularly against “Vintage Virginians.”
A case in point: my brother was sitting at his breakfast table the other day looking glum when his wife came into the kitchen. She said, “What’s up?” He replied, “I have bad news and good news.” She said, “Tell me the bad news first.” His reply was, “We have missed three mortgage payments, our college loan payback is overdue, and
the car payment is late.” “Wow,” she
said, “what’s the good news?” He replied with a smile, “Someone stole our identity!”
Dick Bradie, President
Program to Feature Elaine Anderson, OC TRIAD, Project Lifesaver
by Carolyn Wray, Publicity
The February 20 meeting of AARP, Chapter, 5239 will feature guest speaker Elaine Anderson, the head of the Orange County TRIAD Program – the most active TRIAD in the Commonwealth and one of the most active in the nation since 2001. She takes the role as a senior advocate very seriously and the senior citizens value her support of the TRIAD program by volunteering their time and energy. TRIAD is an important part of community policing, with focus on reducing fear of crime and improving the quality of life for senior citizens. Older people are the most rapidly growing segment of the population. One in every eight Americans is already age 65 or older, a total of more than 33 million citizens.
TRIAD is a volunteer partnership involving the Sheriff, Police Chiefs, and the County AARP or other older retired leadership. The primary goals are to reduce the instances of criminals hurting older people and to help law enforcement services. They provide for chances to share information between law enforcement and senior citizens.
The meeting will begin at 9:30 AM with sweets and coffee, followed by the program at 10 AM. This will be a most important meeting for the AARP group to hear and get involved in. Our TRIAD leaders in Lake of the Woods are Dick and Kathleen Bradie, who keep us aware of what is going on. The meeting is Monday, February 20 at the Lake of the Woods Clubhouse.
NOTICE
The Post Office charges AARP for all returned mail. If you have your mail forwarded to an alternate address during the year, and you want to receive your copy of Perspectives at that address, send your new/temporary address to Carla at cpw_low@yahoo.com or call 972-3436. Give the months you will be away and Carla will restart your Perspectives at the LOW address.
We mail during the first two weeks of the month.
FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS
(Aquarius and Pisces)
Roger Anderson, Kathleen Bradie, Neil Buttimer, Jack Doherty, Barbara Ehlen, Irving Grimes, Benjamin Jason, Ed Kessler, Norma Lanier, Jeanne Larsen, Frank Liberti, Patricia Lieb, Joan Litschert, Sylvia Lyngle, Mike Musatow, Peter Rainey, Barbara Rakes, Mary Lou Roth, Bob Schafer, Alton Smith, Micky Talbott, Clair Wescott, Russell Williams, Patricia Witmer, Jody Zogran, and Ray Zogran
SUNSHINE REPORT
Get well cards were sent to Sandi Plummer and Marie Johnson.
If you know of a member who needs cheering up, contact Carolyn Durphy at 972-3306.
Silent Auction News for 2012
Our January auction results were pretty slim, probably due to the comedown from the holiday highs. Now that we have had a chance to get back into the swing of things, let’s keep the auction one of our major fundraisers by supporting it with donated items. Try to get items to Mary Hudak at 201 Washington Street. She will also accept them the day of the meeting, but please produce them early so they can be processed.
Don’t forget your donation to the Wilderness Food Pantry! The Pantry is truly grateful to AARP for your donations! We will be collecting grocery items for the Food Pantry at the AARP February meeting. Peanut butter, jelly, cereal and tuna fish are especially needed now. Canned meats and sides are also a great choice. PLEASE no personal items.
The Food Bank also needs your used egg cartons as well as plastic grocery bags. Any and all items will be appreciated.
Rosemary Walker is collecting unused all-occasion cards with envelopes that are in good condition to sell at the Lion's Shed when they are opened on Saturday mornings; coupons for education, such as Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, and Campbell's soup labels.
Betty Hughes needs the following items for the OC Animal Shelter: towels, blankets, canned cat and dog food and kitty litter. She is also seeking knitting yarn for a volunteer who is making cat beds. Betty also collects eyeglasses for the Lions eye glass-recycling program.
A special thank you goes to all those who save these items for charity.
New Members
Welcome to our new members who joined in January: Connie and John Cannon, Judy Chess, and Mary Hoffman
Report Email Address Changes
AARP Chapter 5239 uses emails to alert members to upcoming events and happenings. To avoid being “out of touch,” please pass along your new email address whenever you change it. Send an e-mail to:
aarp5239@gmail.com with a note giving your name and that it is a new address.
Check out our chapter blog:
locustgroveaarp.blogspot.com
Medical News
by Sandy Frame
Three Exercises for Flexible, Strong Knees
* Heel slide—Lie on your back with your legs straight out in front of you, arms at your side. Slide your left heel toward your buttocks, bending your knee as you go STOP at the point that your heel can go no farther; hold two to five seconds, then slowly lower back to the starting position. Repeat with the right heel. Do two sets of 10 slides, alternating legs, once daily.
* Quad tightener—Learn to do this before doing number 3. Lie on your back with one leg straight and the other bent. Place a small towel under the knee of the straight leg. Press the back of your knee down into the towel; this will tighten the top of your thigh. Hold for three to five seconds. Do two sets of 10 repetitions with each leg.
* Leg raise—Lie on your back with your legs straight out in front of you, arms at your sides. Bend the right knee but keep the right foot on the floor or bed. Keep your left leg straight as you flex your left foot (bring it towards you), and gently pull in your abdominal muscles. Tighten your left thigh and raise your left leg up six to eight inches from the surface. Hold for two seconds and then slowly lower back to the surface. Raise the left leg 10 times. Repeat using the right leg. Do two sets, once daily.
Women’s Health Reporter, Volume 12/Number 12, December 2011.
Legislative News
by Pat Berry
Sequestration? What’s that?
In an election year, there are lots of opinions expressed during the debates, in campaign ads and on the editorial pages. One of the hot topics is how to reduce the national debt. Some of the questions that might cross your mind are:
How did the national debt get to be so big?
Who determines how much interest is paid on the national debt?
How much U.S. debt is owned by foreign countries?
The AARP has put together a National Debt Glossary that explains a lot of the terms used and provides an insight into why this topic comes up so often in political discussions. Go to the AARP home page at AARP.org and click on “Politics and Society”; then click again on “Government and Elections”. Scroll down to Your Guide to Understanding the National Debt, From A-Z and click one more time.
It’s certainly not as much fun as reading about the Oscar nominations but it may help while you are watching the evening news.
Highlights of January Meeting
by Joan Albertella, Secretary
* Dick Bradie stressed the need for additional volunteers, especially as replacements for those who have resigned. Volunteers are needed for the following activities: Election Day Barbecue chair, Chapter meeting set up, car fit, VIN etching and shredder events, assistant greeters at the Chapter meetings, and volunteers for the Orange Visitor’s Bureau. Over 46,000 volunteer hours have been logged per Sandy Wemmerus.
* Next Driver Safety Course will be held at the Community Center, Mar 29-30, 2012. Contact Bob Sherba at 972-0783 for sign-up.
* Crime Solvers Group meets in the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on the second Thursday of the month. Contact Tony Aris at 972-2016 if you are interested in joining.
* Kathleen Bradie asked for photo prints from Chapter meetings, functions, trips, etc. for the chapter’s scrapbook.
* Mary Hudak announced that the committee will be accepting new (not worn) clothes for the auction.
* Approximately 89 members attended the meeting.
* The 50/50 winner of $66 was Jim Fargo.
* The next chapter meeting will be on Monday, February 20, at the Clubhouse.
From our treasurer: Thank you to the 129 members who paid their dues in January. This brings our renewals for this year to a total of 162 to date. If you haven’t paid send check to AARP5239, PO Box, Locust Grove, VA 22508 or pay at the February meeting.