Middle Georgia Regional Commission Becomes 12th Age-Friendly Region in Georgia

MACON, GEORGIA – The AARP Network of Age-Friendly States & Communities welcomed the Middle Georgia Regional Commission (MGRC) into the network during an in-person designation ceremony on October 10, 2024, during its Annual Meeting. The 11 counties represented by MGRC serves over five hundred thousand Georgians of which 24% are older adults 60 years old and over. MGRC joins more than 900 other communities around the country that have committed to preparing for an aging population.

Launched in 2012, the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities (NAFSC) is an organizational affiliate of the World Health Organization Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities, a program launched in 2006. Through the age-friendly program, AARP helps participating communities to become more livable and age-friendly by creating safer and more walkable streets, needed housing and transportation options, better access to key services, and opportunities for residents to participate in community activities.

“Achieving the Age-Friendly Community designation from AARP underscores Middle Georgia’s dedication to fostering a thriving environment that values and supports older adults, ensuring they can live with dignity, engagement, and purpose in our communities – said Laura Mathis, MGRC Executive Director. “It was a privilege to partner with Macon-Bibb County on achieving the nation’s first designation as an Age-Friendly community in 2012 and to continue supporting its Age Friendly program. I am equally proud to be part of the team that successfully led the entire Middle Georgia region to achieving the Age Friendly Certification and being the final piece to the puzzle, resulting in an Age-Friendly Georgia.”

“We are so excited that the Middle Georgia Regional Commission (MGRC) has joined our age-friendly network,” said Kay Sibetta, Associate State Director of Community Outreach for AARP Georgia. “We are also grateful the MGRC appreciates the values of becoming an age-friendly region and look forward to strengthening our collaborative efforts in creating a Middle Georgia Region for people of all ages to thrive.”

The NAFSC provides a structured process that guides change and serves as a catalyst to educate, encourage, promote, and recognize improvements that benefit residents of all ages and life stages. Enrollment in the network provides member communities with the resources to become more age-friendly by tapping into national and global research, planning models and best practices.

Georgia is home to the nation’s first age-friendly community – Macon-Bibb County– which celebrated its 10-year NAFSC anniversary in 2022. In total, there are 182 Georgia communities that are currently part of the NAFSC. For more information, visit www.aarp.org/livable