August 7, 2023
In 2022-23, the Friends of the Lexington Councilor Aging (FCOA) celebrated two anniversaries. Founded in 1972 and becoming operational in 1973, the FCOA marked 50 years of service in Lexington. A volunteer board of residents who work closely with the Town’s Human Services Department and Council on Aging to enrich the quality of life for Lexington’s older adults, FCOA helps fund critical services provided by the Human Services Department such as special lunches, age-sensitive counseling and recreation, out of town cultural trips, health and wellness programs, and affordable transportation. FCOA also provides the Older Wiser Lifelong Learning (OWLL) program which celebrated its tenth year and the LexingtonLifeTimes creative arts journal. The longevity of FCOA and OWLL indicates their significance in the lives of Lexington residents.
FCOA programs involve six areas of service, partially funded by an annual $20,000 FCOA gift to the Human Services Department.
- Meals: special lunches at the Community Center
- Transportation: subsidies to Lexpress (bus) and LexConnect (taxi)
- OWLL classes which provide learning opportunities on Zoom and in person
- Lexington LifeTimes, a creative arts journal which features residents’ writing, art, and photography
- Coach trips to cultural programs in nearby New England sites
- Netflix movies, tent rental, health and wellness programs at the Community Center.
Perhaps the best-kept secret in Lexington, the FCOA needs to expand its visibility so that more older adults can take advantage of our many offerings. To communicate regularly with seniors, we need their emails. For more information on FCOA programs and events, please send an email to friends@FriendOfTheCOA.org .
Our goals for 2023-24 include increasing our communication with the broader community, finding new ways to serve Lexington seniors, adding new members to our board, and raising funds to support the various programs cited above.
FCOA has benefited from the energy, enthusiasm, and bright ideas of our members: Betty Borghesani, Suzanne Caton, Sudhir Jain, Janice Kennedy, Mickey Khazam, Lorain Marquis, Shirley Stolz, Jane Trudeau, and Chris Worcester. Thanks are extended to Melissa Interess, Michelle Kelleher, and Kelsey Rollins of the Human Services Department as well as Christine Dean, Community Center Director, for their support. The FCOA is very grateful to Kerry Brandin for coordinating the Lexington LifeTimes publication. Special thanks are extended to Marion Kilson who has chaired the OWLL program since inception and will turn over this responsibility to Mary Hamilton, who with Ruth Rose has scheduled and publicized the OWLL offerings. The FCOA also thanks John Zhao and Julie-Ann Shapiro, co-chairs of the COA, for their support.
Respectfully submitted,
Peter Holland
President, FCOA