The folks who started The Active Age were a forward-thinking bunch. Knowing from demographic studies that the number of seniors in the United States was growing, they reasoned that seniors here could use an information source dedicated to their needs and interests.
The first issue came out 45 years ago this month. I like to think it’s still going strong today.
In fact, I was thinking back to a conference of nonprofit news organizations that I attended last year in Washington, D.C. There were representatives of about 100 such organizations at the conference, from all over the United States.
When we were asked to introduce ourselves and say a little about our publications (or in many cases, websites), the people in attendance were fairly amazed that 1.) A newspaper for senior citizens in Wichita, Kan. had 53,000 subscribers, and 2.) Those subscribers had donated more than $100,000 to The Active Age’s operations during the previous year.
Both numbers put us in the top tier of conference attendees. I couldn’t help but be a little proud of that fact — and thankful to all the readers, writers, advertisers, volunteers and everybody else who make The Active Age possible.
Diamond drawing
To mark our latest birthday — and hopefully raise a little money toward future operations — we are holding a drawing for a diamond necklace generously donated by Mike Selzer Jewelers. Everybody who donates at least $25 between now and Jan. 31 will be entered in the drawing. Each $25 donation gets you another chance at the necklace. You can find all the details in the advertisement on page 3 of this month’s issue.
Lastly, please join me in thanking two long-time members of The Active Age board of directors who are stepping down: Mary Corrigan and Diana Breit Wolfe. Mary is an educator and expert in the field of gerontology who’s served on the board off and on since the 1990s, including a stint as president, so she has definitely put in her time. Diana, a retired accountant, has been our treasurer for the last decade, keeping a close eye on our finances and even managing to teach a journalist how to read a balance sheet. She’s promised to keep writing columns from time to time, which I know readers will enjoy.
Two other board members, Tiya Tonn and Linda Matney, have also left the board in recent months after serving shorter but still valuable terms. Our current board member and staff wish all four of them the best.
Contact Joe at joe@theactiveage.com.
