SENIORS – AN UNTAPPED RESOURCE
Rep. Mike Morley
This past week, I received an exciting email from my parents, Ray and Sandy Morley. As many of you know, they were called early last year to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Athens, Greece. Their assignments have included organizing a city-wide celebration of service and laying the groundwork for the Church’s presence at the 2004 Olympic Games to be held in Athens. Several weeks ago, they were notified that they would be transferred to Cairo, Egypt to work with the local Coptic Church teaching English. Their email last week confirmed that they had arrived in Cairo and would soon begin their work.
I share this story not just because I am very proud of my parents, but to illustrate a point that has been made very clear to me over the past year as I have served as a state representative – our retired and senior citizens are one of the great untapped, under-utilized, unsung resources in our state.
Our society has always shown honor and respect for our elder members. In many cases, though, they have been figuratively placed on a shelf and made to feel that their most useful days are behind them. However, with the wealth of knowledge and experience possessed by our seniors, as well as the advances in medicine and increased health consciousness which extend quality life well beyond what was common even a decade or two ago, this simply cannot be the case anymore.
I have been amazed and so very grateful as I have seen, time after time, our seniors reaching out to their neighbors of all ages and abilities, willing to serve and demonstrate in so many ways Christian acts of love, kindness, concern, and selflessness which benefit not only the receiver, but also the giver. I am told of a group of widowers who have formed a breakfast club which meets once a week. Often, newly widowed men are invited to attend, providing them a social outlet and an opportunity to associate with others who can empathize and provide helpful council and friendship at a very difficult stage of life. I know of a woman who every day calls a blind friend and reads to her because she is unable to do so herself. Our local schools benefit greatly from retired men and women who spend a part of their days reading to and tutoring students. The benefits, I am told, are rapid and obvious and many more such volunteers are desperately wanted and needed.
In our ward, a very energetic high priest group leader started a toy factory which has just completed its 2000th car. These toys are cut out, sanded, painted, and completed with very exacting standards of excellence unmatched by any other factory of its kind. This work is being done by men who are suffering the effects of cancer, emphysema, and a myriad of other infirmities. But, they find fulfillment through donating a few hours each week at the factory and providing untold joy to poor and disadvantaged children throughout the world. Just another example of this tremendous, untapped resource.
We are all familiar with the unsung heros of our communities who, seeing a need, mobilize to fill it whether it be bringing in meals, taking care of children, or simply alerting others of a need. These people, often in their later years, are doing what they have always been trained and taught to do – care for their neighbors. I am personally acquainted with two such women who live in our area of town and who have, through their tireless service, had an impact on virtually every person in the area.
During my campaign last year, I was the beneficiary of a great deal of very wise advice from men and women who, over the course of half a century or more, had seen much of war and political ideologies and changes in our nation and our world. One of my employees is a sage of over 70. He may have slowed a bit over the years, but what he lacks in energy and strength, he more than compensates for in experience, knowledge, and the tutoring of young, eager employees. Certainly, he is a great asset to our firm.
Unfortunately, in what some call the golden years, there is sometimes not much gold. I applaud local businesses which provide senior discounts and which employ senior citizens who must work not just because they need a challenge or a way to spend their time, but who are forced by their financial situation to continue to support themselves. I was pleased to meet with the Utah County Assessor, Chris Paulsen, some weeks ago and be informed of a property tax abatement program which benefits many seniors on fixed incomes. I know that many municipalities and utility companies provide subsidies for senior citizens. There are many resources available to this indispensable segment of our community. If you would like more information, please contact your local senior citizen’s center, city offices, or email me at mikemorley@utah.gov.
Our communities are a better place when we encourage and value the contributions of our senior citizens who are not content simply to rest on their laurels, but continue to serve in the workplace, in civic organizations, in church groups, and in our schools.
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