State Senator Mary Ann Handley
October 16, 2009
Handley Welcomes Hundreds to Her 7th Senior Fair
State Sen. Mary Ann Handley, (D-Manchester, left) chats with Paula and George Darby of Manchester at her 7th Biennial Senior Fair held at Manchester Community College on Friday, October 16.
MANCHESTER — State Sen. Mary Ann Handley (D-Manchester) today welcomed hundreds of area senior citizens to her 7th biennial (every two years) Senior Fair, which was held in the Frederick W. Lowe, Jr. Building of Manchester Community College.
“This is as busy as I’ve ever seen it,” Sen. Handley said today as she surveyed a crowd of several hundred attendees just before noon. “I hope folks are getting help with whatever issues brought them here. I know we have a diverse group of presenters who can answer almost any question they might have. I also hope that people will look for volunteer opportunities here, too. Being a senior doesn’t mean that you spend your life sitting around worrying about your health.”
In the first half-hour of the senior fair, Paula and George Darby of Manchester had already collected bus fare information for a friend who must travel to regular medical appointments, and had learned from a representative of the state Treasurer’s office that a relative has some money coming to her.
“It’s very good,” Paula Darby said regarding the fair. “I picked up something from Connecticut Transit for a friend of mine, and I just found out that one of my nieces has JCPenny stock.”
Ruth Pagano of Glastonbury, who was volunteering at the Red Hat Society booth at the senior fair, said she decided to attend after hearing Sen. Handley speak to seniors in Glastonbury. “She came to the Riverfront Community Center to speak to us just before the fair, and everyone was very enthusiastic to come,” Pagano said.
Sen. Handley also stopped to chat with Pat Congdon of the Visiting Nurse Association of Vernon — who had administered nearly two dozen flu shots in the first half-hour, or about one every minute — and with Sue Hadge of Manchester.
“I’ve been coming every year for ages,” Hadge said. “It’s a great fair, so I always come.”
This year’s fair was so popular that various presenters had to be turned down. The list of presenters attending today included: AARP; Alzheimer’s Association of Northern CT; Attorney General’s Office; Bolton Senior Center; Bushnell Center for Performing Arts; Cheney Hall; Commission on Aging; Comptroller; CT Assisted Living Association; CT Association of Health Care Facilities; CT Community Care; CT Department of Public Health CT League of Conservation Voters; CT Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped; CT Light & Power; CT Department of Banking; CT Department of Insurance; CT Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; CT Department of Public Utility Control; CT Housing and Finance Authority; CT Society of Genealogists; CT State Treasury; Eastern Connecticut Health Network; ENCORE; Foodshare; Glastonbury Adult and Continuing Education; Glastonbury Health Care; Glastonbury Health Department; Glastonbury Housing Authority-Herbert T. Clark House; Glastonbury Senior Services; Greater Hartford Transit District; Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce; Hartford Hospital; Long Term Care Ombudsman; Manchester Area Conference of Churches; Manchester Community College; Manchester Health Department; Manchester Hospital; Manchester and Andover Probate Courts; Manchester Police Department; Marlborough Arts Center; Marlborough Senior Center; McSweeney Senior Center; Mountain Laurel Senior Living; North Central Area Agency on Aging; CT Department of Social Services; Office of the Healthcare Advocate; Red Hat Society; Seniors Helping Seniors; UConn Health Center; U.S. Social Security Administration; CT Department of Veterans’ Affairs; Visiting Nurse & Health Services of Connecticut; and VNA Health Care Inc.
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