Norma Duncan (left) receives a capitol citation from Elaine Marshall, secretary of state, recognizing the NC Senior Tarheel Legislature for 30 years of fulfilling its elderly advocacy mission.
North Carolina Senior Tarheel Legislative Delegates recently gathered at the NC Museum of History in Raleigh to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its founding.
In addition to the appointed members and officers of the NCSTHL, guests included senators and representatives of the NC General Assembly, the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging and the Governor’s Council of State; managers of the NC Division of Aging and Adult Services; and members of the NC Coalition on Aging.
Other guests included sponsors such as BCBSNC, NC Electric Cooperatives, AARP, NC Department of Insurance Senior Health Insurance Information Program, NC Department of Health and Human Services, and the NC Association of Area Agencies on Aging.
Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, who co-sponsored the 1993 bill which formed the Senior Tar Heel Legislature, delivered the keynote address. Marshall noted that the population of individuals over 65 in North Carolina has now surpassed those under 18.
She applauded the continuing efforts of the STHL to advocate for the NC aging population. Marshall awarded a Capitol Citation to the NCSTHL acknowledging the 30th anniversary of fulfilling its advocacy mission.
She also presented to Speaker Norma Duncan an official copy of the statute creating the NCSTHL, Senate Bill 479.
Guest speaker Dennis Streets, former Director of the Division of Aging and Adult Services, observed that the NCSTHL’s legislative priorities have not changed much over the past 15 years, signaling an ongoing effort to heighten awareness about the issues facing older adults and to seek changes that protect and enhance their well-being.
Streets’ successor, Joyce Massey-Smith, current Director of the Division of Aging and Adult Services, described new and ongoing initiatives, urging the NCSTHL to continue its mission of advocacy and education.
Duncan honored past speakers of NCSTHL and issued an NCSTHL Resolution acknowledging its key founders.
For information about the NCSTHL’s five legislative priorities recommended to the NC General Assembly this year, visit ncseniortarheellegislature.org/250-2/, where fact sheets and graphics are available for download. Additional documents are posted at the NCSTHL Facebook site, NC Seniortarheel.