March at COA: Sage Awards, Caregiver Support & Community Highlights

---

Dear Friends,

What does it truly mean to age well? It means living with purpose. Being treated with dignity. Waking up each day with a sense of belonging and connection. That is the future we believe in – and the future we work toward every day for the seniors of Martin County. 

Each spring we have the wonderful opportunity to pause and focus on individuals who are outstanding examples of successful aging. Our Sage Awards event brings attention to seniors who continue to enrich the world around them and prove that age is not an indicator of how much a person can contribute to his or her community.

This is a special year for the Sage Awards – our 10th anniversary! Our honorees are amazing in the depth and breadth of what they have done and what they continue to do to improve the quality of life for all of us.

If you can’t attend the Sage Awards – although we hope you can – be sure to read their biographies on our website. You’ll be as impressed as we have been!

Gratefully,

Karen Ripper, President and CEO

The Sage Awards is one of our favorite events of the season. Each year the Council on Aging Martin County honors individuals over 60 years of age in our community who lead purposeful, engaged lives, using their experience, skills, and compassion to strengthen our community and leave a legacy of service.

This year’s honorees will be celebrated on Wednesday, March 25, at Piper’s Landing Yacht & Country Club.

2026 Sage Award Honorees

Chairman’s Award: Suzy Hutcheson
Charlie Kane Award: Jim Snedeker
Arts & Culture: Neil E. Capozzi
Education: Marian Carpenter
Health, Science & Medicine: Sandie Cox
Faith-Based: Noreen Perez
Military & Veterans Support: Robert Shurts
Honored Posthumously
Community Service: Bernice T. Simpson

A special Lotus Society recognition will also take place at the Sage Awards dinner. We are delighted to honor the William and Helen Thomas Charitable Trust and the United Way of Martin County for their ongoing support of the mission and programs of the Council on Aging Martin County.

This is our 10th Sage Awards celebration! To mark that incredible milestone, we created an additional award this year: the Unsung Hero. We received lots of nominations from the community for seniors whose contributions often happen behind the scenes. These are individuals who volunteer faithfully, mentor generously, and uplift others through consistent acts of kindness, leadership, and service, often without public acknowledgment. Join us on March 23 when we reveal the winner of this new category.

Once again Dr. Reza Khatib, an internationally renowned neurosurgeon and resident of Palm City, is our Presenting Sponsor.

We are also grateful for all of our Sage Awards event sponsors:

Dinner Sponsor: Richard A. Zappala Family Foundation

Honoree Sponsors: The Community Foundation Martin-St. Lucie, Nearing & Dallas Wealth Management at RBC Wealth Management, Edward J. Yen, CIMA, CPWA, Senior Vice President/Investments, Stifel/Palm Beach Wealth Advisory Group

Wisdom and Worth Sponsors: Dadko Wealth Management of Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, Nancy Goethel, CFP®, CIMA®, CRPC®- Vice President of Investments at Raymond James, Ross Earle Bonan Ensor & Carrigan, P.A., Sandhill Cove Retirement Living, The Saelzer/Atlas Wealth Management Team of Raymond James

Sage Sponsors: HBK CPAs & Consultants, South Florida Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, Water’s Edge Health Care, Rehabilitation, Assisted Living at Sandhill Cove

Supporters of Sage Sponsor: Berger, Toombs, Elam, Gaines & Frank

Please join us for the 10th Anniversary Sage Awards celebration. You can purchase tickets and find details about the event on our website along with biographies of this year’s honorees and honorees over the last decade. Visit www.coamartin.org/ways-to-give/sage-awards for more!

Caregiving is rapidly becoming a universal experience. Whether it’s for a child, a parent, a spouse, a family member or a friend, we are all likely to become a caregiver at some point in our lives.

Caregiving often involves long hours and constant attention, which can lead to exhaustion. It may bring feelings of isolation and stress. Caregivers often ask themselves, “How can I get through the day?”

Caregivers deserve – and need – support. And Council on Aging Martin County is ready to help the helpers.

Caregiver Workshop

On Friday, March 13, we are offering our annual Caregiver Workshop at the Kane Center, bringing together subject experts and caregivers themselves to share everyday tools and strategies for caring for someone with dementia.

The sessions are free but registration is required by March 6 at 772-223-7800. The program runs from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., with lunch provided. Register online here: www.coamartin.org/caregivers-workshop-2026.

Other services:

Caregivers can also turn to Council on Aging for:

• Ongoing support groups, once a month in person at the Kane Center, free of charge, no need to sign up in advance
• Zoom meetings four times a month for spouses and adult children, open to caregivers near and far
• One-on-One assistance to our community members, through our partnership with the Area Agency on Aging, in locating resources like respite care, so vital for allowing caregivers to take breaks and preserve their personal relationships and social lives
• Education for individuals and family members through the HUGS (Help, Understanding, Guidance and Safety) program to make the whole community a helper
• GUIDE Program assistance that includes respite care for caregivers

Please know: As a caregiver, you are not alone, even when it feels that way. The Council on Aging Martin County and our community are here to help you in one of the hardest jobs you’ll ever do. Call us at 772-223-7800 or visit our website www.coamartin.org.

Tracy Tyler, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, has joined the staff of the Council on Aging Martin County to help expand the organization’s counseling and patient education services.

Every day COA receives calls from community members, some of them frantic, in search of resources to help family members trying to navigate the challenges of aging. Being able to call on a knowledgeable person with the expertise of the entire Council on Aging behind them makes all the difference.

“I’m so excited to contribute to the team in this new role,” Tracy said. “It’s another way that COA is making life better for families throughout our community. As LCSWs, we offer caregiver support groups in person and via Zoom, and I will become a part of this clinical support team.”

Tracy joins Donna True, also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, in offering individual counseling, providing appropriate and timely resources, and networking to help more people know that Council on Aging Martin County is truly their Hub for Senior Resources. They work out of our headquarters located at the Kane Center.

Tracy brings more than 25 years of extensive experience to her role, including distinguished tenures with Treasure Coast Hospice’s Inpatient Unit, St. Mary’s Trauma Center, and Aetna Health Insurance. "The Council on Aging has a renowned reputation," Tracy noted. "Every day, I see firsthand why the agency commands such a high level of respect."

Individuals and families who need assistance can stop in at the Kane Center or call COA for an appointment at 772-223-7800.

When the members of Project Linus gather at the Kane Center each month to create handmade blankets and afghans, they are also creating hugs, love, and a sense of security for children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or in need of a warm blanket.

They also use their skills to make colorful walker bags and lap blankets for Kane Center members and clients in the Adult Day Club.

Project Linus provides a rewarding service opportunity as well as a great way for people to socialize. The “Blanketeers” have lots of fun together, and they build that sense of joy and caring into every item that they create.

Since 2012, the Martin/St. Lucie County chapter of Project Linus has made more than 10,000 items for distribution to organizations like Lawnwood and Cleveland Clinic hospitals, 4Cs (Caring Children Clothing Children), Guardians for New Futures, and East Stuart Youth to name a few.

The “Blanketeers” eagerly welcome new members and accept donations of yarn, fleece or cotton fabric, and quilting supplies like batting.

If you’d like to join this fun activity at the Kane Center on the 2nd Monday of each month at 3 p.m., contact Maura Heffernan at hefferanmaura@att.net.

We’re so grateful to the Martin County Retired Educators members who celebrated Valentine’s Day by giving gorgeous roses to our clients.

They presented the flowers at Council on Aging Martin County Senior Dining Centers in Jensen Beach, Stuart, Hobe Sound, and Indiantown, as well as our Adult Day Club on the Kane Center campus.

Cory Carter, in the center of the group photo, is a Meals on Wheels volunteer, and extended thanks from the entire Meals on Wheels community for their support.

Our Kane Center on Salerno Road is a bustling hub of activity every day, with exercise classes, game days, book clubs, special events, and so much more.

Here are a few of the events you can look forward to:

Joey & Maria's Comedy Italian Wedding on March 21

Mah Jongg Tournament on March 24

Bobby Darin Tribute on March 29

 

The generous contributions you make to the Council on Aging Martin County directly support our Mission. When you make a gift to benefit our programs, you help seniors reduce loneliness, anxiety and depression. By supporting our work you help build a sense of purpose and social connection for our community's seniors.

You can make a gift today or plan for the future. Please contact Michele Leigh Jacobs, Chief Philanthropic Officer, to discuss opportunities that best suit you, your philanthropic priorities and your passion for our senior community.

Email: mjacobs@coamartin.org
Direct: 772.223.7803
Secured Online Giving: www.coamartin.org

About the Council on Aging Martin County

For seniors, their families, and caregivers, the Council on Aging Martin County is their trusted and comprehensive hub for the resources they need for a safer, healthier, and happier life. 

From services like the Adult Day Club and Day Primary Care Center to exercise classes, games to improve memory, concerts and social events, the Kane Center on Salerno Road is a beehive of activities. Services also take to the road – like Meals on Wheels, providing a hot meal and a warm smile to more than 500 homebound and needy Martin County senior residents in their home each day, or Senior Dining Centers at locations throughout the county in East Stuart, Jensen Beach, Indiantown and Hobe Sound, offering a healthy lunch and socialization through exceptional programming. The Elder Care Mobile Outreach Bus, the newest member of our family of care management services, brings knowledgeable and compassionate staff directly to seniors in local neighborhoods. 

For 51 years, the Council on Aging Martin County has been working tirelessly to inspire a community that embraces, uplifts and encourages seniors to maintain lives of quality and purpose. 

We invite you to visit us in person, explore our website at www.coamartin.org, or connect with us on social media to learn more about the wide range of services offered by the Council on Aging Martin County. Our staff and volunteers are ready and eager to help.