Connecting with Single Seniors

It’s easy to forget about our single seniors. Just ask Dick Harp, our OLLI director. He shares his passion on connecting with them and proposes some ideas to ponder.

Several years ago, we tried to develop a program for single seniors within our OLLI.  Unfortunately, we were not successful in our efforts. I still feel there is a need for such a program and would like to ask our current members for their suggestions and help in making another attempt to serve the many singles that live in our Kennesaw State University area.

Feeling Out of Place
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to speak with many of these individuals. They have taken OLLI classes but, with a few exceptions, have not participated in our socials, trips, Club Room activities, Donuts and Notes, or other activities because they feel out of place attending functions by themselves.

Offering Solutions
I would like to ask for your help in creating this program. Any suggestions you could offer would be welcomed. In addition, it would be beneficial if we could find a few people willing to take a leadership role in creating this program. Our first step would be to arrange an organizational meeting for any current members and interested individuals who would like to help with this project. We can share ideas, establish goals, and try to build a program that would serve this group of individuals.

I live in an area that could be considered a retirement area. We have many single seniors who have moved to the area to be with children or grandchildren. Our church has a large group of single seniors who are very active and enjoy being part of a group they call “Goers and Doers.” They plan trips to Biloxi (for the casinos), and trips to other places of interest, such as Disney. They hold dinners, plan cruises, enjoy bridge nights and bingo nights, etc. They adopted a charity that they support with volunteer help and, in some cases, financial help. In total, they are very active and are enjoying life to the fullest. This is the type of activity I feel would be a great addition to our OLLI program.

Partner With Us
If you have an interest in helping us develop a program for single seniors, please let me know.  Share any thoughts or ideas you might have related to this effort with us. Also, if you would like to participate in an organizational meeting, please let me know. We will then establish a date and time for such a meeting. Please send your comments and ideas to Pat Walker at pwalke43@kennesaw.edu.

Hope to see you in class soon.