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In Council on Aging’s (COA) 50-year history, one thing has remained constant: Our commitment to connecting older adults, people with disabilities and their caregivers to the resources they need to remain as independent as possible.
COA’s Outreach Bureau is an important part of this commitment. The Bureau is a service available to businesses and community organizations interested in learning about aging-related issues. Through a COA presence at community wellness events and speaking engagements, the Bureau provides information on how COA works to help older adults age where they want to be – at home – and provides education about the state of aging in our region.
COA’s Outreach Bureau is made up of Outreach Ambassadors, including COA staff, board members, partner agencies and community organizations. Most are volunteers and often give up personal time on weekends and evenings to fill requests. Without the continued support of our volunteers and community partners, the Outreach Bureau would not be what it is today – a valuable resource for people looking for information about services available for older adults in our community.
In the span of one year (October 2020-October 2021) the Outreach Bureau provided information to 6,000+ community members through 53 events – despite the pandemic! Events ranged from information tables at health fairs, to virtual presentations on Facebook Live, to in-person speaking engagements. Community members who benefitted from learning about COA and aging-related information included medical professionals, social workers, caregivers, and older adults and their family members.
Looking for a speaker? Interested in having a Council on Aging information table at your community event? Here’s how:
Visit Council on Aging’s website for information about the . Here you will find information about the services available through the Outreach Bureau, available topics and requirements. The site also includes a form to make a request.
Due to the number of requests we receive, we are unable to fill all requests. Here are some tips to keep in mind when requesting a speaker or our participation in your health fair or event. Please note that each request is considered on a case-by-case basis and our participation is subject to the availability of our volunteers.
- Provide at least 30-days notice for your event/speaker request.
- For speaker requests, the audience must include at least 30 people. We may make exceptions in special situations, but in most cases, speaking to larger groups makes the best use of our resources. If your group is small, please consider collaborating with another organization to bring in a larger audience.
- For event requests, the audience must include at least 100 people and be open to the general public.
- We can most easily accommodate requests for speakers or events that are scheduled Monday through Friday during business hours.