'Golden Girls' win AARP Kentucky's Age Friendly City Award

Middle-school students Madie Alderdice, Kayla Aldridge, Lexie Mathis, Jenna Shupe, and Connor Thomas, otherwise known as the “Golden Girls” from Graves County, KY took home AARP Kentucky’s Age Friendly City Award at the 2017-2018 Future City Competition.

The Future City Competition starts with a question—how can we make the world a better place?  To answer it, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students imagine, research, design, and build cities of the future that showcase their solution to a citywide sustainability issue.

The theme for this year’s Future City Competition was “The Age-Friendly City.” Teams were tasked with identifying age-related challenges that exist in today's cities and devising solutions that allow their future city's seniors to remain active, independent, and engaged with their city.

The Golden Girls’ city, “Larga Vida Pacifica” or “Long Peaceful Life," strives to prevent, diagnosis, and treat the symptoms associated with aging by implementing national policies to regulate energy production, food production, and packaging.  Residents’ diets consist of nutrient rich, preservative-free, organically grown foods.  Dieticians help residents plan and prepare healthy meals, maintain a garden, and design an enjoyable fitness program.

In Larga Vida Pacifica, toxic foods and chemicals are banned to help stave off disease.  Automated golf carts and a public transportation system offer safe modes of travel for residents throughout the city.  “Casa Utils” or “Helpful Houses” are built with assistive technology and health care communication bracelets that offer brain games, health monitoring and emergency aid.  All of these programs are optional for residents.

The Golden Girls were presented with a $500 check from AARP Kentucky to defray the cost of travel as they head to Washington, DC to represent their region at the Finals. Let’s all cheer on our Golden Girls!  We know they will make Kentucky proud.