The Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) will have their annual general and chapter meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church in Sidney.
CARP is a non-partisan, non-profit association of hundreds of thousands of members with a mission to promote and protect the interests, rights and quality of life of aging Canadians. It has a community of 23 local chapters from coast to coast.
The upcoming AGM is for the Vancouver Island Chapter 19.
"I initially set this chapter up in the fall of 2021 and spring of 2022, recognizing that there was no active chapter on Vancouver Island and to serve the Canadian Gulf Islands of the Salish Sea," Douglas Jones, Chapter 19 president said.
The Chapter has approximately 4,100 members.
"With this wide distribution of membership, our main communication strategy is through monthly newsletters distributed via email to those email addresses we have on file, and through our Facebook page facebook.com/carpvancouverisland."
Some of the topics they cover in their bi-monthly meetings include the lack of primary physicians in B.C., appropriate exercise in older people and earthquake and tsunami alerts, to name a few. Guest speakers are invited to these meetings. This month's guest speaker, B.C.’s Seniors Advocate Dan Levitt, will talk about aspirations and objectives for all seniors.
Members can either attend in person or watch the recording for later on YouTube. The in-person part will be held in the meeting room at 2 p.m. at St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church at 10030 Third Street in Sidney. Doors open at 1:30 p.m.
The next chapter meeting is scheduled on Oct. 1 in honour of National Seniors Day and the United Nations Day of the Older Person.
