Let me introduce you to the amazing group of Elders that are in our community. Native American Elders aged 60 and up are meeting at the San Diego American Indian Health Clinic every month to fellowship, learn, exercise and brainstorm on how to help our community and youth in a positive manner.
Early on we agreed that we would need to build a fund that would enable us to accomplish some of the things we felt were needed. So, we organized a parking lot sale, gathered up things we thought would interest the public, picked a date and threw ourselves into selling, selling and more selling. We made some money, broadened our friendships and had lots of laughs. Now, we have the funds to start making a difference.
During our meetings, we get to know each other and the different tribes we come from. We have an exercise specialist from the clinic come in and lead us in some moves designed especially for us Elders. We have a nurse, also from the clinic, who comes in and gives talks on nutrition and provides vaccines and other pertinent information. We share a meal together, swap lots of laughs and lots of knowledge. One of our members sometimes brings his flute and plays Native American songs for us. Soon, we will have a community member give us some lessons on making Moccasins. There will be videos to watch, projects to complete and field trips to take.
Randy Edmonds has been the Chair since last year and although we will be saying goodbye to him later this year as he starts a new chapter in his life, we appreciate all of his wisdom and humor and guidance. He will be missed greatly but we will definitely make use of the time we still have with him as Chair. And we will be looking forward to all that a new Chair will bring to the group.
We are very much looking forward to working with the Youth Group at the Clinic and building great relationships between the Elders and the Youth, teaching them, learning from them, sharing meals and experiences together to strengthen our Native American community. We are planning another Parking Lot Sale on Saturday, September 30th, 2023, which we hope will be even more productive than the 1st one. We want to start getting the word out now so that the event is a smashing success. So, be sure to cut out the ad and put it on your refrigerator, tape it to your mirror or on your front door so you see it every time you go out the door!
We are Elders on the move! We want to make a difference and we want to help others. If you are an Elder, 60 years and up, come socialize with us and help us to make a difference. We meet at the San Diego American Indian Health Clinic once a month and you can find information regarding our group on the website at sdaihc.org, click on services and scroll down to SDAIHC Inter-Tribal Wisdom Gatherer’s.
