March 31, 2022 | By Julie Hying
ANDOVER — What do high school English students, youth soccer players, members of an east-side church and inmates of a state prison have in common? They’ve all benefited from Jeff Roper’s passion for helping people. Roper seemed headed for a conventional business career when he graduated from the University of Kansas in 1979 with degrees […]
| By Ernestine Williams Krehbiel
My first trip abroad took place in summer 1990 with a group of Wichita educators touring the Soviet Union. We were in Moscow first where I tried to pick up how to say please and thank you. Then we went to Kiev, Ukraine. Some powerful memories of Ukraine. As I said, I had learned the […]
| By Tammara Fogle
When Vicky Mazurek moved to Wichita, she had two needs to fill immediately. “The first thing you do is look for a church and some music,” said Mazurek. Mazurek found music in the Wichita Choral Society. Nearly 50 years later, she’s still singing with the group, which will celebrate a belated 75th anniversary this month. […]
| By Ted Blankenship
The other day I was gazing at our painting of a herd of skunks by our friend Noel Linder. They are five in all, traipsing across a lawn single file. Despite their stinky reputation, skunks are kind of cute — until you annoy them. They may then spray you with a strong irritant from a […]
| By Wanda Philips
Life can be fun at any age. It’s not always easy, but with a little luck, some curiosity and a few well-chosen friends, it can happen. A friend, Carol, who lives in the place where I live, asked if I would like to see her nephew Lance’s car. Well, heck, I can see all the […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Picklepalooza 2022 to be held at Riverside Tennis Center Picklepalooza, a pickleball tournament for players 50 and up, is back for a second year. This year’s tournament will be held Saturday, April 30, at the Ralph Wulz Riverside Tennis Center, 551 N. Nims. Registration is $60 and is open through April 23. You can register […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Afghans welcomed Thank you for your coverage of the Afghan refugees here (“A refuge rises: Afghan refugees welcomed to new homes in Kansas,” March 2022). We’ve witnessed an amazing outpouring of compassionate aid, and it’s just beginning. I’ve spent a couple of days with some of our Afghanistan families and as I’ve found in my […]
| By Tammara Fogle
President Joe Biden recently proposed reforms that he says would improve the safety and quality of nursing home care and hold nursing homes accountable for the care they provide. “Despite the tens of billions of federal taxpayer dollars flowing to nursing homes each year, too many continue to provide poor, sub-standard care that leads to […]
| By Jim Miller
Does Medicare cover power lift chairs? Dear Savvy Senior, Because of back pain and knee arthritis I’m interested in getting a power lift recliner for my living room that’s easy for me to get into and out of. Does Medicare cover them? Can’t Get Up Dear Can’t, Yes, Medicare does indeed provide some coverage for […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Grammy-nominated flutist and composer Allison Loggins-Hull will make her Wichita debut in a recital for flute and electronics this Sunday, April 3 at 1:30 p.m. in Wiedemann Hall on Wichita State University campus. Recital tickets from $6-12 are available at wichita.universitytickets.com or at the door. Loggins-Hull’s performing and composing span the spectrum from popular to […]
February 25, 2022 | By Tammara Fogle
The Active Age With less than a month to go, it appears unlikely that some area nursing homes will meet the federal government’s March 15 deadline for having all healthcare workers fully vaccinated against COVID-19. According to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, only four nursing homes in Sedgwick and Butler counties […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Teresa Schmied has returned to The Active Age as advertising manager. Schmied replaced Mike Parker, who left to take a job with the Vegas Voice in Las Vegas, Nev. Schmied previously served as advertising manager of The Active Age from 2013 to 2018. Prior to that, she worked in advertising sales with Pennypower and The […]
| By Barbara Hammond
If there’s such a thing as a born teacher, Elfrieda Shellenberger was it. “As a very young girl, I would line up my dolls and play school with them,” she told me. “I would teach them the Sunday School lesson. And I even had a little grade book where I would mark their tardies and […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Roberta Hulbert is the winner of a $25 gift certificate donated by the Spice Merchant for submitting this month’s Recipe for You or Two: Pizza Pasta. “These are my favorite pizza toppings, but with pasta instead of a crust,” Hulbert said. “Easy!” To submit your own Recipe for You or Two, mail to The Active […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Cowboy concert The Delano Wind Ensemble is staging a concert inspired by the American West and its most iconic character, the cowboy. “Home on the Range,” “Shenandoah,” “Oklahoma!” and the theme from “The Magnificent Seven” are some of the pieces the group will play before finishing with John Phillip Sousa’s march “El Capitan.” The performance […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Hand in Hand, a caregivers support group, will hold its first meeting Monday, March 21, at Believers Southern Baptist Church, 13909 W. 21st St. N. in Wichita. The group is for people who are giving care and need emotional support. It is not disease or disorder specific. The group will meet on the third Monday […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 2409 N. Market in Wichita, Kan., is bringing back its annual meatless Mexican food dinners on Friday during Lent after taking a break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting on March 4 and each Friday through April 8, the church will be selling meatless Mexican food from 5-7 p.m. […]
| By Ted Ayres
“On Animals,” by Susan Orlean (Avid Reader Press, 2021, 237 pages, $28.00) Susan Orlean is one of my favorite writers, and that kind of enthusiasm for her work is widespread. A staff writer for The New Yorker magazine since 1992, Orlean was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard in 2003 and received a Guggenhiem Fellowship in […]
| By Ted Blankenship
My wife and I live in a Bel Aire independent living complex where there are dogs everywhere — out being walked, taken for a toilet run or just being their cute selves. They’re always on a leash of course, because that’s the rule. When you live in the country, dog ownership is different. They dearly […]
| By Tiya Tonn
One of the most rewarding experiences available is the opportunity to impact the lives of others in a positive way through volunteering. The giving of time and talent is likely to improve the life of the giver, too. Volunteers often become healthier, not only from the positivity they feel but because volunteering actually reduces […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Thank You Recent Donors! Opal Alford Brenda Allen Evelyn Allen Joyce Allen Virginia Amend Jo Auchterlonie Norma Bachman Timothy Baier Joyce Bailey Jerry Bammes John Barnett Jennifer Baugh Marilyn Beaver Robert Bequette Gisela Bette Carolyn Bonham F.J. Boots Donald Bostwick Robert Bridgman Barbara Bunting Mac Carder Marilyn Caret John Cary William Coatney Norma Coles Phyllis […]
| By Tammara Fogle
By Nancy Wheeler Identify the geographical feature described that has at least one double letter sequence in its name. The answers appear at the end. 1. Stretching from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico, this is one of the longest rivers on the North American continent. 2. Capital of the mountainous northern Japanese island […]
| By Diana Morton
Forum Theatre, at the Wilke Center, First United Methodist Church, 330 N. Broadway. Words & Music: Girls Sing Elvis. The Forum’s female performers interpret songs by Elvis Presley and early rhythm and blues performers, with plenty of dancing thrown in. 8 pm Sat, Mar 19, 2 pm Sun, Mar 20. Tickets $23-$25. 316-618-0444 Mosley Street […]
| By Tammara Fogle
100th birthday Wanda Elaine Smith Burrow celebrated her 100th birthday on Feb. 18. Wanda was the fourth of eight children born to Marvin and Lizzie Smith in Cold Springs, Okla. She grew up on a farm, earned an education degree from Wichita State University and worked as a “Rosie the Riveter” at the beginning of […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Dear Savvy Senior, My wife and I would like to make some affordable changes to our home so we can remain living there for as long as possible. Can you recommend some good resources that can help us determine what all we need to consider? Getting Old Dear Getting, Many older adults, like you and […]