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"What is serendipity?" my 8-year old third grader asked me recently. I was so pleased to have just the story to offer him to illustrate sudden, unexpected good fortune, thanks to a phone call from Ms. Angie Jensen, a counselor at Lake Hood Elementary School in Anchorage. Ms. Jensen contacted Anchorage Senior Activity center to inquire about the possibility of connecting a third grade class with elders so that the students could read letters they would write, reaching out to older Alaskans. I...
Alaska offers an exemption to seniors from paying property tax on the first $150,000 of their home’s value. Different areas may offer an exemption on a higher value, and different boroughs set different deadline dates to apply. Kodiak Borough’s application deadline is Jan. 15. Forms are mailed by Nov. 15 to qualified property owners who applied the prior year. Existing applicants who have not received one via mail by Dec. 1, should contact the Assessing Department at 486-9353 or email Seema Garoutte at garoutte@kodiakak.usga...
"Mute yourself! Is everybody muted?" What strange request is this from a chorus director, beginning a singing session? She's looking directly at us, checking us out. "OK, everybody's muted. Now let's sing." It's the world of Zoom, in the seasons of 2020. And I am thousands of miles away from the other chorus members as we begin singing "The Star-Spangled Banner." They are in Anchorage, and I am in a small farm town, outside of Portland, Oregon. We are all staring at our individual computer...
"My favorite place in Alaska is my Grandpa Clayton's cabin down at Kenai Lake," wrote Taral Clayton, my nine-year-old-niece back in 2004. "My Grandpa has a lot of neat things inside the cabin such as a whale bone, moose antlers, caribou antlers, and tree funguses. I like to go to Kenai Lake because there are so many different exciting things to do." I had just started reading the rough draft of her paper titled "Kenai Lake," which was a third grade school assignment. Since Taral knew I was a...
The Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) has opened the nomination period for the 2021 Alaska Ocean Leadership Awards. The center established the awards to recognize those who have made significant contributions to ocean sciences, education and resource management in Alaska. Awards will be presented at a virtual event in March, 2021. Nominations for the 2021 Alaska Ocean Leadership Awards are open now through January 15, 2021. The award categories are as follows: Walter J. & Ermalee Hickel Lifetime Achievement Award: Awarded to an individual or...
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will sponsor the November 2020 Lecture Series in honor of Native American Heritage Month and Walter Soboleff Day. The series this year will be offered virtually and will focus on citizens and shareholders in Alaska Native corporations and tribes. All lectures will be live streamed on SHI’s YouTube channel at noon and are free to everyone. Here is the schedule: Nov. 3, “ANCSA Selection of Corporate Model and its Business/Non-Business Investments,” with Greg Razo Nov. 5, “A Review of Tribal Governm...
The Alaska Association for Historic Preservation (AAHP) will hold their annual membership meeting virtually via Zoom on November 5 at 6 p.m. to celebrate the announcements of the Historic Preservation Award Recipients and the Ten Most Endangered Historic Properties Grant recipients. The meeting is open to members, prospective members and the general public. Due to the nature of the meeting being held via Zoom, an RSVP is required so that those attending can be sent the login information and...
Every day, new steps are being taken to improve recycling programs throughout Alaska. Anchorage Solid Waste Services announced in August that it would start allowing recycled greasy pizza boxes as part of Anchorage cardboard recycling. That's because grease and small amounts of cheese in pizza boxes has no effect on the recyclability of the boxes. This rule change is just the beginning and currently different avenues are being explored to improve and expand Alaska's recycling programs. "We are...
The Municipality of Anchorage has launched a new grocery delivery service for seniors, age 60 and older, and for people who have disabilities that prevent them from using People Mover buses. People can now arrange for AnchorRIDES buses to pick up their orders of groceries, essential household items, and pet supplies from participating stores that offer curbside pickup. AnchorRIDES buses will deliver these items to their homes. The service is free for customers age 60 and older through funding from an Alaska State Department of Health and Social...
Interested in learning more about businesses and agencies providing senior services in the Anchorage and Mat-Su area? Want to get the word out about your own service? The monthly Service Providers Breakfast (formerly known as the Interagency Breakfast), sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, Inc., is an opportunity for all the above. Informal, early and free, the monthly event is being continued virtually online via Zoom. The October meeting is Oct. 14, hosted by SAGE. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group, Inc. for...
Jon Scudder is a Michigan native and has lived in Alaska since 1997. He is a retired 20-year Air Force enlisted member and presently works in civil service at 673d Civil Engineer Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. He is married to Sharon, has four adult children and seven grandchildren, the majority of whom reside in Anchorage and Girdwood. His interests in technology, broadcasting and podcasting belie the typical stereotypes of older people, and we sent him a few questions for his...
While a Mi'kmaq friend has crossed into Canada to access his reserve in Eskasoni, Nova Scotia, Canada, it has been difficult for a member of the Skagway Traditional Council. The council is a federally recognized Tribal Government for Skagway Tlingit and Haida Indians, Alaska Natives, and American Indians located in the Skagway Traditional Council service area. Tribal Administrator Sara Kinjo-Hischer said that a member had a moose hunting tag to use in Fairbanks, but was turned away at the...
When the novel coronavirus COVID-19 reared its head in March, senior citizens were advised to take notice. This new illness was hard on those age 65 or older, people were told, and indeed, four months later, statistics bear this out: 80% of COVID-19 deaths affect the elderly population. But consensus on just how and where seniors should ride out the pandemic, and beyond, isn’t clear. And seniors across Alaska, like everyone else, are balancing risk and necessity with a desire for normalcy. Senior centers play a huge role in the lives of o...
The right to vote is preserved in Alaska for all eligible voters, even during these times of coronavirus pandemic. In other words, in order to vote, you do not have to go in person anywhere and potentially expose yourself to the coronavirus, to long lines, or to bad weather. You can vote by mail with the help of the U.S. Post Office, or you can vote via your email. You can also vote with the assistance of a human proxy referred to as a “personal representative” who is authorized to bring you a ballot and help you fill it out if you need ass...
With senior centers closed during the coronavirus pandemic, senior centers have been forced to make adjustments to their supported fitness programs, whether via ZOOM classes or taking activities outside into the open air. Fortunately, summer has arrived with blue skies, intermittent rain in some neighborhoods, and the aroma of leaves bursting with new life. Daily walking can bring new life to seniors, as they are now coming out of forced self-isolation, in search of reconnecting with their...
Chugiak-Eagle River Senior Center (CERSC) accepted a $25,000 donation from the organization's Foundation fund at a presentation June 4, with organizational staff and local leaders in attendance. "The Foundation's donation couldn't have come at a better time, especially with seniors facing hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic," CERSC Operations Director Darren Adams wrote in a press statement. "We will be able to use this donation in a multitude of ways, including helping procure a much-...
Editor’s note: This press release was received June 22, 2020. With COVID-19 continuing to threaten communities across Alaska, ongoing Tlingit language revitalization efforts are particularly at risk. Many Tlingit culture camps and language study opportunities have been canceled or postponed this summer, and elders are more isolated from the communities with which they usually share their knowledge. In response, Sitka-based nonprofit organization Outer Coast is partnering with the Sealaska Heritage Institute to co-host Kashook’ Áa K?aa Ee Dult...
Be part of Wasilla Area Seniors, Inc.’s virtual Miles for Meals 5K fundraising event. Miles for Meals is WASI’s largest fundraising event of the year, supporting Meals on Wheels of the Mat-Su Valley. Using the proceeds, WASI strives to end senior hunger and malnutrition in the Mat-Su by delivering meals to seniors in their homes and ensuring they are safe. Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, this year’s event will be virtual, meaning participants won’t gather together on race day as they’ve done in the past. Instead, they can run,...
Whereas, older Americans contribute to the fabric of our community and are keepers of our rich, cultural history; and Whereas, the Municipality of Anchorage acknowledges that the meaning of “to age” has changed for the better; and Whereas, the Municipality of Anchorage is committed to supporting older adults as they take charge of their health, explore new opportunities and activities, and focus on independence; and Whereas, the Municipality of Anchorage celebrates the value of inclusion and honors older adults as leaders in our community and...
Join Julie Riley, Tanana District Extension horticulturist on Fridays and Tuesdays for free, informal discussions on gardening in Interior Alaska, via Zoom web videoconferencing using your computer, smartphone, iPad or tablet. No internet service or cell phone coverage? No problem. You can dial in from your telephone, but you will only be able to hear the presentations, not see them. There are two weekly meetings: the VegHeads Virtual Garden Hour on Fridays, 7 to 8:30 p.m., and New Gardener Q&A on Tuesdays, noon to 1 p.m. VegHeads starts with...
Mary Shields is the 2020 recipient of the distinguished Ron Hammett Award from the Municipality of Anchorage's Senior Citizens Advisory Commission. Annually, the award recognizes an individual who demonstrates exceptional service, leadership and civic engagement for improving the quality of life of seniors. Shields, a 47-year resident of Anchorage, served on the Alaska Commission on Aging (ACOA) from 2014 to 2019. With less than one year on the commission, she accepted the position of chair, and...
"Celebration," the enormous biennial Native American cultural event originally scheduled to take place this year in Juneau, is being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In its place this year, event organizer Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) is holding a virtual Celebration during the time Celebration 2020 would have occurred, June 10-13. In lieu of in-person activities, the Celebration 2020 virtual event will include live watch parties of previous performances and new videos of associated...
The Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA) will hold their quarterly meeting on Monday, May 18 from 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. Subjects that will be covered include senior housing, updates on health and social services, AgeNet, AARP, Office of the Long-Term Ombudsman, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority and much more. To listen-in or participate, call toll-free 1-800-315-6338, code 53250#. The public comment portion of the meeting will take place from 1:15 to 1:30 p.m. The Alaska Commission on Aging includes a roster of advocates from around the state...
