Submitted by: Jolene Molaski, Director of Marketing & Communications
Area Agency on Aging 3 is wrapping up another year and is already making plans for 2024! This coming year marks the 50th Anniversary for AAA3 and the Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging (o4a). Before we look forward, let’s take a moment to look back at 2023!
This year has been an impressive year for 2023, with the growth of the team and retention of staff members. Each member of the team is yet another puzzle piece to help complete the larger picture. At the beginning of 2023, there were just over 100 team members and now there are over 140.
In 2023, Area Agency on Aging 3 was presented with a USAging Achievement Award for the Adult Protective Services Program. In addition, the second consecutive year, AAA3 was the recipient of The Lima News’ Best of the Region Award for Best Community Service Organization.
AAA3 partnered with Taylor Kia of Lima to deliver nearly 50 Thanksgiving dinners to older adults in Allen County. With partnerships from Lima Memorial Hospital and Mercy Health St. Rita’s, care managers and recovery managers were able to deliver over 200 Christmas gifts to individuals on AAA3 programs through the Angel Tree Annual Event.
Without partnerships and donations from the community, some programs at AAA3 wouldn’t be able to help as many individuals. For example, FOE 370 Lima Eagles donated to the Stages Behavioral Health Program that allowed the purchase of items to assist with music and art therapy as well as pet companionship therapy.
Team members of AAA3 show their own generosity by participating in various donation drives, such as, Winter Warmth Drive, Hygiene Drive, Coins for a Cause, Food Drive, Sweet September, United Way Campaign, Holiday Gifting, and support of the Silver Birch Dinner & Auction. Without the dedicated staff of AAA3 such things wouldn’t be possible.
Advocacy was a very large part of 2023. Whether it was advocating for state budget funding or 211 advocacy at the state level or even giving testimony before the State Senate Committee on housing, AAA3 continued to fight all year for individuals.
Each year AAA3 strives to help as many individuals as possible. This is just a quick snapshot of additional things that were done in 2023, besides helping the thousands of individuals everyday that are enrolled in programs at Area Agency on Aging 3.
So here is to a successful 2023 and cheers to the upcoming 50th Anniversary of Area Agency on Aging 3 in 2024!
For information about the programs at Area Agency on Aging 3 please call the agency at 419-222-7723.