Solon Senior Advocates was organized in 2002 with the mission of supporting seniors’ well-being by engaging them in activities to promote independence.
Sandy Hanson, President of Solon Senior Advocates, said “Solon Senior Advocates was organized mainly, primarily, to support the Old Gold Diner (Senior Dining) program. They bought a van and put a $10,000 wheelchair lift on the back of it. There were two ladies who provided money for the van, and they were ones the van picked up every Monday through Friday to come up to Senior Dining.”
Hanson joined Senior Advocates in 2006 and started shuttling people to and from the meals. At the time the Johnson County Senior Center in Iowa City prepared the meals, under strict federal guidelines and overseen by the Heritage Agency on Aging in Cedar Rapids. “They provided us with a site manager and the girl they sent us would call me to come in (and cover her shift for her). So, I got more and more involved.”
Recreational trips, with Hanson piloting the van, began in 2006. However, the van was difficult for some seniors to get in and out of, and as she noted, “it wasn’t made for highway travel,” she said recalling a “white-knuckle” trip to Newton on a very windy day. The trips are still on a Covid-induced hiatus, but Hanson said they’re working on organizing bus trips. “I’m waiting to get quotes from Cedar Valley (Cedar Valley Transit Lines, Inc.) because they have a 32-passenger bus, and that’s plenty. Most of the people I took back then, are gone.”
In 2011 Hanson saw a story the Lisbon Food Pantry needed money, to buy food. Realizing Lisbon’s population was about the same as Solon’s, the Advocates started the Solon Community Food Pantry (located in the basement of the Solon United Methodist Church). “And then in 2020 we started the Emergency Assistance Fund. I wrote, last week, checks for four people to pay their utilities and rent. So now the Senior Advocates (a 501c3 non-profit organization) are over the Pantry, are over the Emergency Assistance Fund, and now we’re over Senior Dining (in cooperation with Solon Senior Support).”
The purpose of the Senior Advocates, she said, is to keep seniors active, engaged, and entertained. “That’s why we’re taking trips.
The Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse in Rock Island is a perennial favorite. “There’s a tribute to Barbara Streisand, and John Denver, and they’ve had some dynamite musicals. You get a meal, and it’s pricey, tickets are about $47, and the bus is about $1k.” Hanson figures the cost per person would be around $85, which would be too much for many. However, with $600 funding per trip from the Advocates, the price will be much lower. “We’ve got one in September (tentatively) to the Celebration Belle River Cruise in Dubuque to see Barefoot Becky. We’ve gone to the Villages of Van Buren (County), there’s five villages and they’re very strict Amish. That’s 100 miles, so it’s going to be pricey, and we need at least 25 to sign up for it.” A trip to Breitbach’s Country Dining in Balltown is also in the works. The Advocates also organize trips to local eateries on a monthly basis.
During the pandemic, with people staying home and restrictions on local businesses, Hanson grew concerned about the seniors who were essentially “locked in” and unable to go anywhere. When the government’s relief checks started arriving, some people reached out to Hanson and the Senior Advocates saying they didn’t want the money and would rather it go to a family in need. She was able to give some of the money to a local family needing help with their mortgage. Another wanted to send the money to help the employees of the local restaurants who’d been laid off. “I started calling around and I called Big Grove and their people were well-taken care of. And Andrew (Mitchell, General Manager) had been talking with Doug (Goettsch, co-founder and Director of Hospitality) about providing a free meal for the seniors.” Hanson got 65 names and with help from the Solon Senior Support, they were delivered. She then contacted the other locally-owned restaurants in Solon. “We did that for most of the summer. Then I started to get nervous about the Covid, so I started pestering Towncrest Pharmacy, and Jill Weetman (founder of Solon Senior Support) also got on it, and we set up a vaccination clinic and vaccinated 1130 people. So, we’ve done things for seniors. That’s what we do.”
Hanson emphasized the generosity of the Solon community and pointed out “These people give money for our emergency fund and our pantry. She gave kudos to Sam’s Main Street Market, Big Grove, and Bridge Bank for their support over the years.
In May, Older Americans Month, a board comprised of past recipients select a Solon senior who has contributed to the community. The awardee, the Solon Senior of the Year, is presented a certificate at a City Council meeting. In addition, an open house is organized for the honoree, who also rides in a convertible in the annual Solon Beef Days Parade.
Advocate Board meetings are held the third Tuesday of the month at 1:00 p.m. at the Solon United Methodist Church in the community room. Anyone with an interest in helping research, plan and organize services and activities of interest to Solon’s seniors are encouraged to attend.
To become involved with the Solon Senior Advocates, donate, or for more information on programs and activities, call any board member (Larry Meister, Ivan Hasselbusch, Art Tellin, Don Burch, Barry Byrne, John Lamantia, Larry Brecht, and Jill Weetman) or Sandy Hanson at (319) 624-2710 or mail to P.O. Box 99, Solon, IA 52333.