Doing More for Our Community’s Seniors
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“Historic Spanish Point’s plan to engage seniors is important work that will promote positive aging while connecting friends and neighbors to a unique cultural resource. This thoughtful effort matters to our community and merits our support.”
Senior Friendship Centers, Sarasota
Dear Friends:
Do you know any local seniors? You probably do, as our region’s population is an “older” one.
Seniors strive to be engaged and, regardless of age-related issues or physical capability, want to experience the story of the adventurous people in history who shaped our community: The early Floridians who subsisted on shellfish and hunting at what we know now as Historic Spanish Point, the courageous pioneers who farmed citrus and established on their homestead a winter resort for guests, and sophisticated Mrs. Palmer, who pursued various entrepreneurial ventures and planted glorious gardens here when she was in her 60’s.
We are very grateful for your commitment to Historic Spanish Point, an irreplaceable historical and environmental resource for people of all ages. Today, we would like to ask you to help us better connect this valuable resource to our older family members, friends, and neighbors.
As you may know, the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services recently awarded a prestigious grant to the museum that will enable our initial work towards engaging seniors. Your special contribution to the Annual Fund, however, is crucial to the full implementation of plans to maximize Historic Spanish Point’s potential as a leading community resource for them.
We want to greatly improve seniors’ access to the museum with continuous-loop tram transportation around the 30-acre site during high season. With your help, we will implement this service by this Thanksgiving. As a result, local seniors who might not have visited Historic Spanish Point recently because they found its walking trails too lengthy will be better able to access the site’s many captivating resources, such as the Butterfly Garden, Guptill Boatyard, and Mary’s Chapel.
How will your generous Annual Fund gift make a difference to seniors?
Here are a few examples:
- With your support, we will implement assistive listening devices on our tours. Accordingly, seniors who otherwise might have missed some of our tour guides’ comments will learn the complete story of this special place.
- With your participation, we will “bring Historic Spanish Point” to more and more seniors who are physically unable to visit here. Via the aggressive expansion of our Speakers Bureau to numerous local retirement communities, assisted living facilities, and community centers, we will engage people who otherwise would not experience the museum at all.
- With your assistance, we will produce large type maps and brochures for distribution to seniors at our Visitors Center. Those who previously could not read our materials’ smaller print now will be able to read all about Historic Spanish Point.
- With your help, we will work with the Osprey Public Library at Historic Spanish Point to implement new educational programs. Thus, local seniors who visit the charming library will be immersed in our region’s rich history in innovative ways.
We hope you agree that these steps — and others that experts from the National Center on Accessibility may suggest during their fall visit to Historic Spanish Point — will make a real difference to our community’s seniors.
Will you help us make this difference by contributing now to the Annual Fund?
With any luck, we all will enjoy long, full lives, despite some aches, pains, and gray hairs. Hopefully our “senior” days will be filled with love, laughter, and learning. To that end, we thank you for working with us to ensure that our older family members, friends, and neighbors benefit from all our community offers, including fascinating Historic Spanish Point.
Sincerely,
Ann Y. Moore Linda W. Mansperger
President Executive Director
P.S. When you donate today, please be as generous as you can — for our seniors!
Yes! I want to support efforts to better connect our seniors to this valuable community resource.
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If you prefer to donate over the phone, please call 941-966-5214 ext. 250
Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:30pm.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!