Three Rivers Regional Commission Becomes 10th Age-Friendly Region in Georgia

GRIFFIN, GEORGIA – The AARP Network of Age-Friendly States & Communities welcomed the Three Rivers Regional Commission (TRRC) into the network during an in-person designation ceremony last week. The 10 counties represented by TRRC, serves more than 20% of older adults who are 60 years old and over 500,000 Georgians. TRRC joins 818 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.

"The Three Rivers Regional Commission (TRRC) is excited to join hands with AARP and provide for an improved quality of life for all citizens in the 10 counties within our region, said Chairman Curtis Brown, Jr. for TRRC. The Age Friendly Communities program will help us better prepare local leadership with processes and tools to support West Georgians, of all ages, with better access to opportunities related to jobs, transportation, and housing. We are proud to be one of the first 10 regions in the nation to receive this designation and are thankful to our Area Agency on Aging who led us through this process."

“We are thrilled that the Three Rivers Regional Commission has joined the network,” said Debra Tyler-Horton, State Director for AARP Georgia. “We commend the Commission for recognizing the value of being an age-friendly community for people of all ages, and we look forward to continuing our work together to make the region a great place to grow up and grow old.”

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 is celebrating its 10-year NAFSC anniversary in 2022. In total, there are 162 Georgia communities that are currently part of the NAFSC. For more information, visit www.aarp.org/livable.