Starting my tenure as executive director at The Center at Belvedere at just 39 years of age in 1999, I began thinking of aging as a societal issue long before most of us do. A fundamental concept I learned was that creating something that helps our community be more accessible for an older adult will help all generations.
The classic example is curb cuts, which are the slopes between curbs and streets. They not only help older adults using mobility devices but also help anyone with a stroller or who otherwise find curbs a barrier to their daily life.
The first step to creating our shared future is imagining it.
For Charlottesville Tomorrow’s 20th anniversary, we are inviting central Virginians to share their visions for the next 20 years.
Submit your Next 20 visionRSVP for the Oct. 4 Next 20 event
I am inspired when residents have the information they need — from impactful local news organizations like Charlottesville Tomorrow — and the encouragement to stand up and speak truth to our public officials. While I find it discouraging to think we have little impact on actions at the national level, I know from a multitude of experiences of speaking up myself and watching others speak up that local leaders do listen and act on what they learn from residents.
While working at The Center, I collaborated with other organizations to form the Charlottesville Area Alliance, a group working to build a more age-friendly community. We successfully advocated for public officials in Albemarle County, Charlottesville and Fluvanna County to commit to an age-friendly community framework to make our area more livable for people of all ages, particularly older adults. We used guidance from AARP, a nonprofit that advocates for older adults…