Koochiching County senior citizens are eligible to join the organization at no cost for the next several months

By CHRYSTAL CLANCE

The Ice Box of the Nation Chapter of the AARP met at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Koochiching County Senior Center. President Tom Wagner presided over the informal meeting.

No cost membership cards for 2010 were distributed to those in attendance. Koochiching County senior citizens are eligible to join the organization at no cost for the next several months.

The group discussed many local and national topics of interest to seniors, such as Medicare fraud, construction of the new hospital, identity security, telephone scams, and the passed school tax referendum.

Approval was given to donate funds to Koochiching County Senior Center in appreciation for having meetings there. It was agreed to ask the local radio station to add meeting dates to their Community Calendar in order to more fully advertise meetings, which are open to all senior citizens and others who are interested in issues that impact all persons of retirement age. Koochiching County has a large population of seniors and statistics project that the aging population is growing much faster than those in their working years.

The next meeting will be in conjunction with the Dec. 23 Christmas dinner at the senior center. A small fee will be charged for dinner and those attending must make a reservation by calling the center at 283-3737 by the day before the dinner.

The January meeting will revert to the normal schedule of the second Wednesday of the month, which will be Jan. 13. Members are asked to bring a topic of special interest to themselves to discuss with others. Hostess Florence Strukel will provide refreshments.