From January to June 2008  5 Star Travel will donate a percentage of every travel booked to the Aging Project. We are honored to be selected, in this special 25th Anniversary Year for 5 Star. Now you can support the LGBT Aging Project while you lie back on the beach during your mid winter vacation! 

 

The Community Share Program at 5 Star Travel is the only program of its kind in the travel industry. Since 1995 more than $51,000 has been raised for well worthy organizations such as Fenway Community Health Center, The Boston Living Center, GLAD, Freedom to Marry Coalition, JRI Health, and BAGLY to name a few.

 

Click here for more on 5 Star Travel's Community Share Program

The study of 199 LGB seniors found that more than two-thirds of the participants had provided care to one or more people during the previous five years.

"These findings contradict old myths about elderly gay people leading lonely lives of quiet desperation," said Dr. Robert-Jay Green, executive director of the Rockway Institute, a national center for LGBT research and public policy. 

"LGB seniors create vibrant communities of care that overcome the difficulties posed by discrimination or by greater levels of rejection from their biological families."

Read the entire article

 

from 365Gay.com Newscenter

On Tuesday January 8th the LGBT Aging Project facilitated an event for the Central Massachusetts Area Agency on Aging, Elder Services of Worcester Area and the Worcester Senior Center. The event was Gay and Gray in Worcester: A Community Conversation and Social for Older LGBT People and Their Friends.

 

The event, held at the Worcester Senior Center, brought together a number of LGBT Seniors from Worcester and a number of other community leaders along with the Executive Directors and representatives from the three host agencies. 

 

Each of the three agencies completed various trainings with the LGBT Aging Project and this gathering represented their next step in reaching out to the LGBT Senior Community.

 

Plans are now underway to organize the local gay community resources for seniors. The group will convene again in March to formalize their next steps and discuss plans for Worcester Pride next Fall.

 

If you would like to be added to the mailing list for the next LGBT Senior Gathering in Worcester, please call Bob Linscott at (617) 522-6700 x310 or email him at blinscott@ethocare.org.

 

 

 

Now that the marriage battle is behind us, MassEquality recently announced their 2008 legislative agenda (read the Bay Windows article 1/24/08). Included in their mission is their commitment to support the LGBT Aging Project in our work to ensure passage of the MassHealth Equality Bill and to secure continued state funding to train more Elder Service Agencies.

 

 Join Us For Mass Equality's Upcoming Boston Area Organizing Meeting

This will be an opportunity for you to learn more about their 2008 Equality Agenda, ask questions, share your thoughts, and find out what you can do to make a difference.

The right to marry may be safe for the moment, but lawmakers and advocates are working this session to make sure that the state lives up to its commitment to treat same-sex married couples like their straight peers. One of the key areas where true marriage equality has not been realized is in MassHealth, the state's Medicaid program, which is funded by the federal government and cannot by law recognize same-sex partners as spouses.

 

On January 17,twenty four different LGBT Seniors and community organizers from Stonewall, Ole and Primetimers came together for a meeting with the LGBT Aging Project to discuss plans for a 'Senior Track' at this year's Boston Pride Celebration. The goal is to identify a number of events and activities that are of interest or targeted to older LGBT folks. The group also discussed ideas for this years dance as well as a hospitality tent for seniors to meet, rest and get out of the sun (yes, it will be sunny this year - we put down a deposit to guarantee it!)

 

The meeting was also attended by Linda Demarco, President of the Boston Pride Committee. She pledged to help us out in any way she can, and she also spoke of the work her committee is doing to make the Pride Festivities more accessible for our seniors.

 

We need more volunteers!

We are currently looking for volunteers for three different committees and/or help on the day of the event.

1) Dance Committee

2) Hospitality Committee (day of the parade)

3) Fundraising for Senior Pride

 

 

We are also looking for several corporate sponsors for Senior Pride. If your organization would like more information on being a corporate sponsor for one of the events, or a premium sponsor for Senior Week, please contact Bob Linscott at (617) 522-6700 x310 or blinscott@ethocare.org

Peter Sauro, a senior at North Eastern University, will be dedicating eight hours of his busy school week to the LGBT Aging Project. Peter is currently in his final semester at Northeastern studying Human Services and Business. He sought out the Aging Project because he is "looking to obtain a good understanding of how  small nonprofit organizations operate as well as the dynamics of the LGBT elder community."  He is really excited about working with us this semester and looks forward to meeting many of you over the next six months.  

The LGBT Aging Project is looking for a few more speakers to join our Senior Speaker's Bureau. If you are interested in speaking to diverse audiences about your experiences as an LGBT senior, you might be a perfect candidate for our Speaker's Bureau.

 

SpeakOut Boston provides the training for our speakers. Their weekend training is Feb 9th and 10th.

 

For more information please contact Bob Linscott at (617) 522-6700 x310 or email him at blinscott@ethocare.org

 

 

Jan 29: Mass Equality Organizing Meeting

 

Feb 6th: Gay & Graying Breakfast & Discussion

 

Feb 9: "Out to Brunch" & Social for LBT Women

 

Feb 9&10: SpeakOut Training

 

Feb 12: LGBT Aging 101 at Hospice of The Good Shephard

 

Feb 19: LGBT Senior Pride Meeting

 

Feb 19: Stonewall Communities Life Long Learning Institute's Open House

 

In February we will be devoting most of our newsletter to a number of stories on LGBT Senior Housing. We have gathered news and updates from a number of LGBT Housing Options across the country and overseas. You won't want to miss this edition!