Giving: Celebrating Seniors Health Fair happening today in Elmwood Park (2024)

The Local Office on Aging is kicking off summer with a free “Celebrating Seniors Health Fair” in Elmwood Park from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. today.

The event features free balance and blood pressure screenings, chair massages, a cornhole tournament with prizes, and live music from the ’50s and ’60s.

Del. Joe McNamara, state Sen. David Suetterlein, representatives from AARP, Carilion, Lewis-Gale, Senior Medicare Patrol, Radford University’s College of Nursing and Department of Public Health and Healthcare Leadership, and others will be on-site to offer health screenings and discuss summer wellness for seniors. Food trucks will sell refreshments, and Freedom First’s Scoop ice cream truck will provide free ice cream for attendees.

“This is the first time we’ve planned our annual health fair in downtown Roanoke, and we’re excited to have the opportunity for our seniors to enjoy a stroll in Elmwood Park while getting a chance to learn about the many activities, events, and resources available through LOA and our partners,” said Ron Boyd, LOA President and CEO, in a news release.

The nonprofit LOA serves Alleghany, Botetourt, Craig, and Roanoke counties, as well as the cities of Covington, Roanoke, and Salem, helping older individuals remain independent for as long as possible in their chosen environment. Learn more at www.loaa.org.

Kiwanis Club scholarships announced

The Roanoke Kiwanis Club recently awarded scholarships, totaling $16,000 to six high school seniors in the area high schools where the club sponsors Key Clubs — William Fleming, Patrick Henry, Cave Spring, Hidden Valley, Northside, Roanoke Catholic School, and Staunton River.

Students completed applications that included personal history, expected field of interest for college, transcripts, extracurricular and service activities, and a letter of recommendation.

The awards included the $5,000 Franklin Award named for former Kiwanian Stu Franklin and his wife; the $3,000 Henh Ly Award named for a Kiwanis Scholarship recipient who was tragically killed in the 2008 shootings at Virginia Tech.

Scholarship recipients are:

The Kiwanis Club of Roanoke, a community service organization, has been serving the needs of youth, older adults, and the environment for more than 100 years by providing funds and sweat equity to over 25 charitable organizations. It sponsors Key Clubs at Roanoke City & County high schools, Builders Clubs at area middle school, K-Kids at elementary schools, and the Phoenix Star AKtion Club for adults with special needs.

Taubman Museum honors 2The Taubman Museum of Art recently honored two area women for their work in furthering arts and education in the community during the museum’s 19th Annual Women’s Luncheon.

Mary Dana Hinton and Betty Hardt Lesko were recognized for their commitment to informing and inspiring the community.

Hinton, an author and proponent of the liberal arts and inclusion, is the 13th president of Hollins University. She received the Sheila S. Strauss Art Venture Award, which annually recognizes a woman for her extraordinary contributions to the arts and art education.

Lesko received the Ann Fralin Award, which recognizes a woman for her extraordinary contributions to the arts and the museum, and her commitment to the community. The Texas native moved to Roanoke in 1971 and became involved in community organizations such as Opera Roanoke, Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Planned Parenthood, Family Service of Roanoke Valley, Blue Ridge Land Conservancy, Roanoke Valley Speech & Hearing Center, the Roanoke Museum of Fine Arts, the American Cancer Society, the Daughters of the American Revolution, National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, and the Mayflower Society.

The Taubman Museum of Art is home to a widely respected permanent collection and offers rotating exhibitions showcasing work by global, national, and regional artists.

Petco Love grant to support RCACP

The Regional Center for Animal Care and Protection is recipient of a $10,000 grant investment from the national nonprofit Petco Love to support RCACP’s lifesaving work for animals in the Roanoke Valley.

Petco Love, seeking to build stronger relationships between communities and pet families, has invested $380 million in adoption and other animal lifesaving efforts since its founding in 1999.

RCACP is the intake municipal shelter for Roanoke, the counties of Botetourt and Roanoke, and the town of Vinton and works to reunite lost pets with their pet parents, and to find loving pet homes through adoption or rescue placement. RCACP staff and volunteers work with approximately 3,200 to 3,500 animals annually.

The RCACP investment is part of more than $15 million in investments that Petco Love has made to help local organizations create a future in which no pet is unnecessarily euthanized, said Susanne Kogut, president of Petco Love.

“Our local investments are only part of our strategy to empower animal lovers to drive lifesaving change right alongside us,” she said, adding the company launched Petco Love Lost, a national lost and found database that uses patented image-recognition technology to simplify the search for lost pets.

The technology also allows potential adopters to observe and play with the cats as they play and romp in a refurbished free-roam cat room.

For more information about Regional Center for Animal Care and Protection visit rcacp.org.