Seniors Week proclaimed June 1-8 in Penticton

Penticton City Council has proclaimed June 1-8 B.C. Seniors Week in Penticton marking the second year the week has been officially observed locally.

The inaugural Seniors Week was celebrated in 2019 with a full week of fun activities, music, educational events and the celebration of seniors. This year’s event was cancelled because of COVID-19 restrictions.

“We were thrilled with last year’s success,” Mignonne Wood, president of the Penticton Seniors’ Drop-In Centre said of the event. “More than 1,000 seniors took part in our activities. We were looking to make the second year bigger and better but we had to cancel the event to ensure we focused our efforts on supporting seniors through this pandemic and keeping everyone a safe distance apart.”

Seniors Week was about celebrating seniors and the many contributions they make to our community.

“Penticton seniors are energetic, involved in every aspect of our community and account for close to 30% of our local population,” said Elmie Saaltink, president of the South Okanagan Seniors Wellness Society. “With COVID-19, our focus has been to support our seniors during these turbulent times. As it turns out, in the true spirit of our community, seniors have stepped up to help other seniors with groceries and other needs.”

The Penticton Seniors Community Action Committee, a committee representing the Penticton Seniors’ Drop-In Centre. South Okanagan Seniors Wellness Society and OneSky Community Resources, organized the 2019 Seniors Week program. The group hopes to host lectures and other informational events in the months ahead, when public health officials deem it safe to gather.