MISSION: To create opportunities that allow older residents of Douglas County to remain independent and active in their homes and communities.
March 2015
Volume 42 No. 3
INSIDE AARP Tax Schedule ������������������������ PG 2
Legalese ����������������������������������������� PG 6 Calendar������������������������������������������� PG 7
Leisure and Learning Catalog ������� PG 8 Menu����������������������������������������������� PG 14
DONATE TO SENIOR MEALS WHEN FILING YOUR TAXES March is National Nutrition month, and that gives us a great opportunity to highlight our marvelous meals program, staff, and volunteers. It takes a lot of dedicated folks throughout the county to get the meals out every day, Monday through Friday, in both the congregate and home delivered meals programs. Hot, nutritious meals are served up and delivered with a smile! Donations are very important to the continued success of our Senior Meals Program. Kansas Tax Payers have the opportunity to contribute to their local senior nutrition programs through the “Meals on Wheels contribution program for senior citizens” on the state income tax form - just check the box and enter the amount you’d like to donate. What could be easier?! Last year DCSS received $2,667 in contributions. Please consider helping when you file your taxes this year. We thank you!
VISIT US AT WWW.DGCOSENIORSERVICES.ORG
RETIREMENT MY WAY - SHERRI SCHEURER After 30 years as a Disability Nurse Case Manager, Sherri Scheurer decided to retire in 2012. It didn’t take. Joking that she “failed retirement,” she says she went back to work for another year, then decided to retire for good in 2013. She could have stayed put in rural Minneapolis. After all, other than 10 years in Florida, she’d lived there all her life. Her grandkids were just 5 minutes away. But in October of 2014, she moved to Lawrence. It wasn’t a decision she made lightly. But she says that, “There were few opportunities for either part-time employment or social and learning opportunities nearby. I was becoming quite bored. I needed to be - and feel - productive.” When looking for a place to relocate to, Sherri says that she had a few criteria for her new community. She wanted lifelong learning opportunities, social and business Continued on page 2
Sherri Scheurer with Lawrence Ambassador Jerry Niebaum. Photo courtesy of Judy Niebaum.
Kansas Impact Program (KIP) KU MBAs Serving the State of Kansas Douglas County Senior Services, Inc. teamed up with University of Kansas MBA candidates who served as consultants for a six-month period beginning in August 2014. The KIP team worked on a specific challenge faced by DCSS. How can the organization position itself to capture baby boomers’ interests and become relevant to this younger senior population? The student team conducted market research to identify solutions. With help from KIP, DCSS Pictured from left, Timothy Liao, Kristin will discover strategies to understand the Scheurer, Brenna Buchanan Young, Taylor Monsees, demand and deliver valued services that will Clark Goble, Josh Fischer. Not pictured: Emily Held, and Janet Ikenberry. Photo courtesy of Ann Dean. launch us to a prosperous future.