Tag: seniors

You Belong Here by Sara Phoebe Miller

- Stephanie Leave a comment

You Belong Here written by Sara Phoebe Miller and illustrated by Morgan Beem is a coming of age story about Esther Rosen and her senior year of high school. Full of drama, angst, and romance galore, You Belong Here is a true-to-life glimpse of one teenager’s struggle to find out where she belongs.

Esther Rosen, Essie if you please, is more than ready to leave her hometown of Harborview. Luckily for her, it’s her last first day of high school and she can’t wait for school to finally end so she can graduate and get away from here! While it seems like the end may be far off in the future, time has a funny way of playing tricks. With her best friend off at Columbia living her best life, her brother across the country in rehab, and her mom turning every conversation into a fight, Essie is struggling to find her way. Essie should be able to turn to her boyfriend Bruno, but even he has become weirdly distant. Through all of these ups and downs, Essie knows one thing: she has a limited number of days before she will start school at NYU in the acting program of her dreams with her best friend.

It doesn’t take long before Essie’s plans start to unravel. Her best friend isn’t responding to her texts, Bruno breaks up with her, and her mom’s constant nagging about perfection ramp up her anxiety. After she bombs her audition, Essie is at a loss. She missed the audition window for the community theater group she usually works with and instead has to try out for the school play. When she’s cast opposite Christopher Sun, Essie is conflicted. While Christopher is charming and attractive, he is also the young brother of the drug dealer who got her older brother hooked on drugs and caused all her family’s problems. How can she be attracted to Christopher? Is he a rebound? Or is what she feeling for him real?

This young adult debut graphic novel was gorgeously written and drawn. The illustrator used blue watercolor tones to highlight the story, focusing on details and expression in each interaction. Even though the artwork is monochromatic, readers are easily able to see the big emotions play across each character. You Belong Here is ripe with teenage angst as Essie struggles with her family, friends, and feelings.

Social Work Spotlight: Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program

- Stephanie 1 Comment

SENIOR FARMER’S MARKET NUTRITION PROGRAM

This month, our resource spotlight shines on the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP), an initiative dedicated to enhancing senior health and wellness. SFMNP offers eligible seniors a $50 voucher to purchase fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables, herbs, and honey from participating farmer’s market vendors.

Administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship in partnership with the Iowa Division of Aging and Disability Services, this program ensures seniors have convenient access to nutritious produce, promoting their overall well-being. SFMNP plays a vital role in fostering community health and wellness by supporting local farmers and encouraging healthy eating habits among seniors.

Area Agencies on Aging facilitate the distribution of vouchers to eligible seniors, with Milestones Area Agency on Aging serving as the administering organization for the seventeen counties in their planning and service area, which includes Scott County. To apply for SFMNP benefits, seniors must meet specific age and income criteria and complete an application. Seniors who received vouchers last year will automatically receive an application by mail by mid-May. First-time applicants are encouraged to contact Milestones Area Agency at (563-324-9085) to request an application. Applications will be accepted exclusively through the mail, and Farmer’s Market vouchers will also be sent to recipients via mail. Please be aware that no business transactions will occur at any Milestones office, and there are no distribution centers.

To be eligible for this program, you must meet the following criteria:

  • You must be at least 60 years of age or older.
  • Your annual household income should not exceed 185% of the Federal poverty level. This means an individual’s yearly income should not exceed $27,861 or $2,321.74 monthly, or $37,814 or $3,151.71 monthly for a two-person household. You can find the income guidelines at https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/sfmnp-ieg-2024-25-memo.pdf
  • Seniors must reside within the service area of the Area Agency on Aging.

For more information about the Farmers Market Nutrition program, please visit https://www.milestonesaaa.org/nutrition-programs/farmersmarket/ or contact Milestones Area Agency on Aging at 563-324-9085. You can also find a list of eligible Farmers’ Markets by visiting Eligible Farmer’s Market Locations.

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax

- Lynn Leave a comment

Dorothy Gilman’s series about a senior  spy begins with The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax. The 60-something Emily Pollifax decides that she needs to do something more meaningful with her life, and begins by walking into the CIA to volunteer her services.

Published in 1966, some of the sentiments seem dated; women in their sixties today would be less likely to be have as their primary identity being a frail-looking grandmother who has never been part of the workforce. What is interesting is the Cold War attitudes and alliances. It’s one thing to set a book in the sixties, it’s another to read one written with those assumptions.

I decided to read this one after hearing Nancy Pearl’s recommendations on NPR; they were part of a list of books that featured travel. Mrs. Pollifax does get around; in this book she starts out in Mexico (acting as a courier), and ends up in Albania.  Along the way, she proves herself resourceful, tenacious and very, very tough – even by current standards. Her innocence leads her to trust others more easily than a professional spy would, but it allows her to develop relationships that will come in handy later. If you want to make a quick visit to a world gone by, and to meet a slightly eccentric but very successful spy, give these a try.