AARP Indiana celebrates Fort Wayne

History was made and celebrated in Fort Wayne this week.

Mayor Tom Henry announced the creation of the Mayor’s Age-Friendly Community Advisory Council and signed a letter of intent to join the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities on Tuesday.

The City of Fort Wayne is the third Indiana community to join the network, which focuses on improving The Eight Domains of Livability: outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, social participation, respect and social inclusion, work and civic engagement, communication and information, and community and health services.

“It’s been a momentous week for AARP Indiana and the Fort Wayne community at large,” Addison Pollock, AARP Indiana Associate State Director of Advocacy and Outreach, said. “The creation of the new advisory council and commitment to being an Age-Friendly community arrives at a milestone for the 50 plus community.”

The new commitment lines up with the 20^th anniversary of Fort Wayne’s Senior Information Fair, an initiative that spun out of a previous community engagement initiative in the city, the Senior Advisory Council.

AARP Indiana was ready to support Fort Wayne in this endeavor. You can read about a needs assessment conducted as part of the Age-Friendly initiative in partnership with the Purdue Extension Office of Allen County here: https://states.aarp.org/indiana/age-friendly-community-surveys

“We wanted to show the community that we were committed to asking important questions about what residents would like to see in an Age-Friendly Fort Wayne,” Pollock said, “And we couldn’t have gotten to where we are today without dedicated volunteers and community partners.”

Linda Dunno, AARP Indiana’s volunteer team leader in Fort Wayne, has worked toward this announcement for more than two years.

“I’m proud of my community for taking a major step in ensuring that people of all ages can enjoy living here,” Dunno said. “I can’t wait to see what is next for Fort Wayne and thank Mayor Henry for his commitment on this issue.”