City Celebrates Mayor Emanuel's 2012 Senior Fest

CHICAGO'S 'MOST EXPERIENCED' CELEBRATE SENIOR FEST

Mayor Emanuel's 2012 Senior Fest Press Release PDF Copy

Band playing on stage at Mayor Emanuel's 2012 Senior Fest

Close to 8,000 of Chicago’s “most experienced” residents visited Millennium Park Thursday morning to take part in Mayor Emanuel’s 2012 Senior Fest.

Each year Senior Fest allows Chicago to celebrate the accomplishments of our older residents by offering a variety of social activities and useful information about the resources that are available to enhance their active and healthy lifestyles.

This year Senior Fest participants were able to receive free flu shots from Walgreens, view extraordinary works of art by Chicago’s finest elder artists, play ping pong and badminton, and even take a spin on the dance floor. They were also able to relax together and have a nice lunch.

In addition to having a well-deserved fun time, seniors were recognized for the many important ways that they have contributed, and continue to contribute, to life in Chicago.

“We live in challenging times and many Chicago grandparents are helping to keep their families together by assuming the added responsibilities of raising their grandchildren,” noted Commissioner Evelyn Diaz of the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services. “We want to recognize all of their selfless acts and acknowledge the huge debt of gratitude that Chicago owes to our seniors.”

In addition to thanking Chicago’s seniors, the City expressed appreciation to Senior Fest sponsors including Comcast, Sedexo and BlueCross/BlueShield for their support which helped make Thursday’s event possible.

There are close to 400,000 city residents who are 60 years old or better, and the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services assisted as many as 150,000 of them in 2011 via the department’s programs and a network of 21 Regional and Satellite Senor Centers throughout the city.