The Council on Aging of Nassau County is pleased to announce the latest roster of members of the Executive Board.  2012 is a busy year for the COA and this board is  already hard at work advancing the needs of the Council on Aging and helping get the word out on upcoming events. The members are:

Fran Shea – President

Mary Pitcher – Vice President

Gail Morgan – Treasurer

Annette Calfee – Secretary

Charles Albert, Pamela Brown, David Buchanan, Barbara Gingher, Deborah Gold, Ed Kane, Joe Murphy and Tom Moss-Executive Director.

 The Council on Aging is proud to announce our 2012 Charity Golf Event to be held on Memorial Day Monday, May 28, 2012 at the Omni Hotel and Resort on Amelia Island Plantation, on the Ocean Links course. 

The Council on Aging “Score One For COA” Charity Golf Tournament kicks-off a very exciting year for us. This event will raise funds for our five outreach programs:  Adult Day Healthcare, Transportation Services, In-Home Services, Meals on Wheels and running our two senior centers (East Nassau Fernandina Beach and West Nassau Hilliard). We hope you will consider being a Hole Sponsor with a custom sign placed on the Tees and Greens in our upcoming tournament for a $100 tax deductible donation. The continuing support of Nassau County residents and surrounding communities is greatly appreciated. To sponsor a hole, please contact Jeff McDowell, 904.261.0701 x 117 or jmcdowell@coanassau.com.

 We would love to have you play with us as well—it will be a great day!  Plan to attend and challenge your team to a beautiful golf adventure as you play some of the most breathtaking par 4 and 3’s fronting on the Atlantic Ocean.  The event is planned around all of our contestants enjoying themselves and taking home a memorable experience.  We look forward to seeing you on Monday, May 28, 2012.

ENTRY FEES:   Four Person Team Entry   $500 /Individual Entry $125                                                                                                                                                ADDITIONAL:   Mulligan Tickets 3 for $10         Putting Contest Tickets $5      Door Prize Raffle Tickets– $ 20 each/3 for $50

GOLF TOURNAMENT FORMAT:

▪  8:00 – 9:30 AM Registration, sign in (Includes:  green fees, carts, range balls, cart baggie, lunch & awards)

▪  10:00 AM  Play begins with a “shotgun start” scramble @ 10:00 am on Monday, May 28, 2012

▪  12:00 Noon   Box Lunch delivered on course; beverage cart (Cash only) on course

▪  3:00 – 4:00 PM Awards Ceremony- Prizes for Top 10 Men’s Teams, Top  3  Women’s Teams; (Cash bar) Prizes include rounds of golf and restaurant gift certificates,  Raffle Ticket Drawings for new drivers, woods, putters, golf bags, and other exciting items like fly away lunches, fishing charters, and more. (Must be present to win)

To securely register online go to: http://coanassau.com/Golf  and click on the Golf Tournament Registration Form, print, and return with your credit card information to COA fax 904.261.0704 or by mail (1367 S. 18th St, Fernandina Beach, FL, 32034). 

The Council on Aging has partnered with Blacktie America to ensure our upcoming events like our Charity Golf  Tournament and Annual Fall Gala are a resounding success! One of the most important tools they offer is an easy way to make a secure donation.  By using the following link, individuals or groups can visit our new site and get any updates to our events and make a donation for any amount.

https://www.blacktie-america.com/online_sales/nonprofit_donation.cfm?id=73

A big “Thanks” goes to Robison’s Jewelers and their customers for participating in the COA’s recent  ”Double the Love” promotion.  Thanks to the patronage of Jeff and Brett Whitaker’s loyal customers, a $1060 contribution was made towards the COA’s Capital Campaign. This contribution will assist us in covering the construction costs of The Lfe Center.  If you would like contribute to this very worthy cause, please clck on the “Ways to Give” graphic on the top right of our website.

Arlyse McDowell holds her 2012 SHINE award

Congratulations to Council on Aging’s Arlyse McDowell. She was recently named winner of the 2012 Serving Health Insurance Needs of Seniors (SHINE) Award for highest percentage of eligible beneficiaries served in a large fringe metro county.  Arlyse has been a case manager at the Council on Aging (COA) of Nassau since 2008 but just recently took on the duties as our county’s SHINE representative in 2011. The COA could not be prouder of Arlyse, not only for volunteering for this difficult additional duty, but also for winning this statewide award in her first year in the program!

 Last year, ElderSource sent out a call for volunteers to help them manage the state-wide SHINE program.  Arlyse immediately volunteered and after completing an extensive 6 day training class from The Department of Elder Affairs received her SHINE certification.  With the knowledge she obtained from the training, Arlyse has been able to figure out a solution to almost any health insurance problem. Arlyse has met with several seniors who were losing sleep over problems they were experiencing with their Medicare insurance coverage.  Often the problem was as simple as understanding a correspondence or a bill.  Sometimes it is quite difficult–finding a solution to fix a claim, billing problem, or prescription coverage.  Arlyse says that she has had a number of seniors come to her with cleverly worded letters that looked official but were really just advertisements.  With her training Arlyse cuts through the “mumbo-jumbo” and “too-good-to-be-true” sales gimmicks that entrap so many seniors in today’s complex world, and advises them on their options–if action is really needed or if they can just toss the solicitation away and toss their worries away with it.

 Arlyse will continue to work with COA clients with their SHINE needs in fall of 2012.  Arlyse’s best tip to seniors as they head into the 2012 Medicare insurance open season is to never sign anything that they don’t understand.  And if you need help understanding anything, please make an appointment at one of the COA centers and become a client of The Council on Aging of Nassau and Arlyse will be glad to assist you.

 Although there are over 500 SHINE volunteers statewide, there are not enough volunteers here in Nassau County to meet the need of the local population.  As the number of Medicare beneficiaries needing assistance increases, the need for volunteers increases too.  If you are interested in helping meet the need of this workload by becoming trained and being ready for the busy fall re-enrollment time, please contact Marilyn Parker, SHINE Liaison, ElderSource, 4160 Woodcock Drive, 2nd Floor, Jacksonville, FL  32207 Telephone:  904-391-6645 or 1-888-242-4464.