1970s: A great start for our seniors
My very first summer job was in a small building on Centre and 6th Streets, in 1977. At that time, we were called the Council on Aging for Nassau County or COA for short. I originally thought I was coming to a fancy office job. I even wore my heels. Little did I know that my first task would be pulling weeds at a senior’s house! This was the beginning of my life’s work in service to others and it started with learning humility. Even though my idea of an office job didn’t quite fit the reality, weeding this senior’s garden was what she needed. And I was happy to help.
Nassau County Council on Aging celebrates our 50th anniversary on February 15, 2024. Until then, we’re focusing on highlights from each decade, starting with the 70s this month. We’ll focus on a different decade in successive months, leading up to our Salute to Seniors 50th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, January 20 at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, and our actual milestone the following month. From now through February (and beyond), we’ll celebrate with monthly activities geared toward remembering our past and looking to the future. For the latest and greatest info on our Golden Anniversary and Gala, visit https://nassaucountycouncilonaging.org/50thannivsalutetoseniorsgala. (Limited sponsorships are available; tickets go on sale in September. Contact Liz Dunn, Marketing Director, at ldunn@nassaucountycoa.org for more info.)
Since our humble beginnings in 1974, Nassau County Council on Aging has recognized seniors’ immediate needs and delivered programs and services to meet those needs, such as meals, transportation, home repair and much more. “How can we help?” was not only the greeting when answering the office phone, it was – and still is – our mission.
Our first chairman, George Crady, was recruited by the federal Department of Community Affairs. A woman asked about his interest in starting an agency to serve seniors in Nassau County. George immediately organized local groups already helping the elderly and received a grant from the federal agency to help with start-up costs. Soon, the COA had three “departments:” Meals on Wheels run by Elsie Harper; Transportation (the Care-o-Van) run by Edgar Lindsey; and “How Can We Help?” which was everything else – chores, errands, light housework, home visits. Everything was scheduled out of a little 200-square-foot office with four volunteers. Fast forward to the 2020s…our main location is a 25,000-square-foot facility serving tens of thousands of seniors from Amelia Island to Hilliard, Callahan and Bryceville.
(By the way, Representative Crady still resides in Nassau County, after having served our citizens in the Florida House of Representatives from 1977-2000.)
From 1974 to today, we have never wavered in our mission is to “enhance the lives of older adults through services and compassionate care designed to improve the health, independence and economic security of all Nassau County seniors and their families.” Join us as we celebrate our milestones and the lives of our growing population of seniors in the local community…now and into the future.
In August, we’ll feature how the agency grew and prospered throughout the 1980s. For additional information on NCCOA, contact us at 904-261-0701.
PS While the Council on Aging left the starting blocks in the 70s, here’s what our nation was up to: Sony introduced the Walkman, Farrah Fawcett hair was everywhere and America celebrated our bicentennial. Plus, a gallon of gas was 36 cents!