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2022 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 392
Commending the Local Office on Aging.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 8, 2022
Agreed to by the Senate, March 9, 2022

 

WHEREAS, the Local Office on Aging, an Area Agency on Aging headquartered in Roanoke with a mission to enable older residents to remain independent while meeting their needs, celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022; and

WHEREAS, the origins of what is now the Local Office on Aging date back to 1965, when Cabell Brand established Total Action Against Poverty in response to President Lyndon B. Johnson’s declaration of a war on poverty and the landmark Economic Opportunity Act of 1964; and

WHEREAS, founded in 1972 as the League of Older Americans, what is now the Local Office on Aging worked with local governments in the Fifth Planning District, including Alleghany, Botetourt, Craig, and Roanoke Counties, to develop programs in accordance with the Older Americans Act of 1965; and

WHEREAS, with the foresight and vision of its founders, what is now the Local Office on Aging became the second Area Agency on Aging in the Commonwealth; today, the organization is a proud member of the Virginia Association of Area Agencies on Aging, which was established in 1976 to improve the Commonwealth’s ability to serve its elderly population; and

WHEREAS, the first services developed by what is now the Local Office on Aging were the senior citizen identification card initiative, a LOA news service, the Foster Grandparent Program, and other community outreach programs, while nutrition programs such as Diners Clubs and Meals on Wheels began in the 1970s; and

WHEREAS, the Local Office on Aging currently administers more than 30 community services for the benefit of senior residents, providing opportunities for nutrition, education, advocacy, and socialization that improve the well-being of many; and

WHEREAS, the Local Office on Aging continually strives to enhance the quality of life in the home, help individuals stay in their homes and avoid early institutionalization, provide support to caregivers of the elderly, and advocate for quality services, medical care, and housing for senior residents in need; and

WHEREAS, the Local Office on Aging has been guided over the past 50 years by the exemplary leadership of its successive agency heads, Ed Wood, Richard Young, Glenn McKibbin, Susan B. Williams, and Ron Boyd, who has served as the organization’s president and chief executive officer since 2016; and

WHEREAS, the accomplishments of the Local Office on Aging have been made possible through funding from federal, state, and local governments; corporate and private foundations; the United Way; Foundation for Roanoke Valley; and other forms of donations and fundraising; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Local Office on Aging, an Area Agency on Aging serving the Fifth Planning District of Virginia, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Local Office on Aging as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the organization’s mission and its contributions to the Commonwealth.