byBaileyWhite
Staff Writer
If you haven’t heard of the Mayor’s Special Events for Senior Citizens program, you’re not alone. Plenty of people aren’t aware the 30-year-old program stages more than a dozen activities a year for senior citizens around the city.
“We’re the best kept secret in Jacksonville,” said Mary Ferrell, the public relations coordinator for the program, which falls under the Adult Services Division of the City’s Community Services Department. “We’ve been around since Mayor [Jake] Godbold’s administration, but a lot of people don’t know what we do.”
The organization’s goal is to encourage independent living through physical activity and social events with other seniors.
There’s the annual holiday party featuring dancing and food, the bowling tournament and the Mayor’s Fish-a-Thon, which draw crowds in the hundreds.
“We also hold a Senior Expo each year at the Prime Osborn [Center],” said Ferrell. “It’s a way to let seniors know what kinds of services and products are available for them. At the last one we had 10,600 people come through and we had about 190 vendors.”
The group recently led seniors to the newly-opened Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville for a game, and they host the Senior Games each year, a qualifier for state and national competitions in basketball, tennis, shuffleboard, golf and other sports.
“And we organize the Senior Citizen’s Country Store at the fair each year,” said Ferrell. “We set up inside the Coliseum, and our seniors sell handmade goods — afghans, quilts, ceramics — and then they price it and get to keep the money they make. Last year, we brought in over $16,000.”
Ferrell said the program has continued to operate with success because they strive to pay attention to the changing needs of seniors.
“The program has definitely evolved over the years,” said Ferrell. “What worked 20 years ago may not work today. At each activity we ask our seniors to fill out a survey so that we know what’s working and what we need to change.”
One of the more recently established programs is the Safety and Security seminars that, in connection with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the group now hosts three times a year.
“Seniors are targeted so much because they’re so trusting,” said Ferrell. “To me, this program is one of the best that we do. We include seniors from all over and talk to them about the scams out there. Then we perform a phony scam on them, just to make them realize not to trust anyone.”
In addition to the events, the group is in charge of public relations and the website for the entire division. They also publish a Senior Services Directory, a quarterly newsletter and operate a Medical Transportation Unit to provide transportation services to and from doctor visits for seniors without Medicaid.
“We’re limited because we only have one driver, but we provide about 230 transportation units a month,” said Ferrell, adding that Jacksonville has one of the most comprehensive special events programs for seniors out there.
“When I first came to work here I researched a lot of other cities and I have yet to find another program that does as much as we do,” she said. “We’re looking hard at events that provide physical activities because we see those as the key to staying independent and we’re always looking for new ideas. Seniors today want a lot more, they don’t just want to sit around.”