When Tom Wargo was volunteering with needy metro residents, he noticed older clients would give much of the free food they received to their pets. In 2008 he opened Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen in Lawrenceville. The nonprofit gives out up to 80,000 pounds of pet food a month—most of the recipients are seniors—and has become the model for 200 pet food banks across the country.
This article originally appeared in our September 2016 issue.
Located on 20 acres just a few miles east of downtown, East Lake Commons is a community built around intergenerational cohousing and shared resources. Homes have zero-step entrances with doorways wide enough for wheelchairs and walkers. The car-free lanes encourage socializing and strolling. There are weekly potluck suppers, and everyone is encouraged to help one another by offering rides or running errands.
This article originally appeared in our September 2016 issue.
Founded by Georgia State alum Meagan Jain in 2012, Ageless interAction promotes social relationships between millennials and adults over 65. The nonprofit sponsors regular painting classes and other activities at nursing homes, senior centers, and adult day programs all over metro Atlanta, which Jain says helps to “normalize” those spaces and break down cultural stereotypes around aging. Her next goal: opening a brick-and-mortar art studio where adults of all ages can connect.
This article originally appeared in our September 2016 issue.
In our September 2016 issue, we recognize the 12 finalists for our fifth annual Atlanta Magazine Groundbreakers awards. This year our theme, Aging Well, honors the people, programs, and organizations dedicated to making Atlanta a better place to grow old. The finalists range from a mental health center designed to treat older adults, to a government program that’s challenging Atlanta’s communities to adapt to senior residents, to a unique preschool program that’s promoting cross-generational connections. But who should be our 2016 Groundbreaker of the Year? We want to hear what you have to say. Read all about this year’s finalists, then let us know who you think is most deserving by voting below.
Voting will be open through September 30, 2016. You can vote as many times as you’d like within that time period.
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Now in its fifth year, the Atlanta Magazine Groundbreaker Awards recognize innovative people and projects. For 2016, our theme is “Aging Well.” Along with the rest of the nation, Atlanta’s older population is growing. By 2030, one in five residents in the metro region will be over the age of 60.
The 2016 awards will focus on work in promoting good physical and mental health, quality of life, positive relationships, and financial stability among Atlanta’s older adults, from recent retirees to centenarians. We’re going to recognize ways that research institutions, healthcare providers, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, educators, developers, tech firms, and other groups and individuals are making metro Atlanta a healthier and happier place for seniors. It might be a housing development that emphasizes intergenerational living, a medical study about healthy aging, a financial assistance program that helps fixed-income residents stay in their homes, or a new technology that enables the elderly to remain independent for longer.
The 2016 Groundbreakers will be featured in the September 2016 issue of Atlanta magazine and recognized at an awards event in October 2016 during which we will name the Groundbreaker of the Year for 2016.
Nominations will be accepted May 2 through May 31.
Learn about past Groundbreaker Awards finalists here
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