The First-Ever Connections Newsletter is Here

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the first issue of Connections, the monthly newsletter of the Council on Aging Martin County!

Every day our programs reach hundreds of seniors in our community. We’re on the road with our Elder Care Mobile Outreach Bus, at our four Senior Dining Centers throughout the County, and at home at the Kane Center, with the Adult Day Club, the Day Primary Care Center, the Meals on Wheels programs, and a wide array of fitness and social activities.

How can we connect with you and keep you in the know about all of these services and opportunities? Our answer is this newsletter.

We hope you enjoy reading about what’s happening. Please feel free to share Connections with your neighbors, friends, and family.

Gratefully,

Karen Ripper, President and CEO

For the 9th year, the Council on Aging Martin County Sage Awards honored Martin County seniors who continue to use the wisdom, talents and treasures they’ve cultivated over a lifetime to enrich the world around them.

The Honorees come from various walks of life but share a remarkable demonstration of leadership, unwavering dedication, and deep compassion for others. This year’s Honorees are:

• Gert Rodgers, Chairman’s Award, an accomplished healthcare administrator with a passion for quality care for all and a tireless advocate for seniors and issues of aging
• Tom Campenni, Charlie Kane Award, the founder and publisher of the community digital newsletter Friends & Neighbors
• Nick Blount, Community Service, a long-time leader and volunteer for causes and projects that improve the life of the community
• Tony Anderson, Education, a former teacher and school board member and an energetic champion of education
• Kristal Wion Eckhardt, Arts & Culture, the founder of the highly successful drama department at Martin County High School and now an active member of the arts community
• Jordan Bromberg, MD, Health Science & Medicine, a revered medical practitioner on the Treasure Coast and now the Medical Director for the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic
• John P. Glynn, Jr., Military & Veteran Support, a veteran himself who is driven to honor the men and women who have served their country. 

Our special thanks to our Presenting Partner Sponsor Dr. Reza Khatib and all of the sponsors and attendees who made the Sage Awards a joyous experience for our community.

Click here to see the photos from the 9th Annual Sage Awards ceremony.

The 2025 Council on Aging Sage Award honorees: Seated: Gert Rogers and John Glynn; standing left to right: Tom Campenni, Tony Anderson, Dr. Jordan Bromberg, Kristal Wion Eckhardt, and Nick Blount.

Our 4th Senior Dining Center is now open at the First Baptist Church in Hobe Sound.

We are now close to serving 100 seniors from the area that visit the Hobe Sound center for a hot, nutritious meal provided through the Meals on Wheels program. It’s a great opportunity for them to socialize, hear interesting speakers from the area, take part in programs from fitness and even memory enhancement classes.

Friends gathered at the First Baptist Church on March 27 for an official ribbon cutting. The Hobe Sound Senior Dining Center joins our Council on Aging Martin County sites in Jensen Beach, East Stuart and Indiantown. More than 19,500 meals a year are served to seniors across all locations.

Click here for more information about the latest addition to our Senior Dining Program.

The numbers are impressive: In just three months, our brightly colored Council on Aging Elder Care Mobile Outreach Bus served 335 seniors right in their neighborhoods throughout Martin County!

Our Case Manager Navigator was able to help seniors connect with resources like securing affordable housing, referrals to Meals on Wheels or the Adult Day Club at the Kane Center, enrollment in the dementia GUIDE Program for people with dementia and their caregivers, medical consultation and screening from the Day Primary Care Center, and assistance with everything from unpaid utility bills to loneliness and isolation.

Our CEO Karen Ripper describes the overriding goal of the program as helping seniors remain in their own homes. “With the right resources, they can cope with the stresses of aging and continue to live in their home with a sense of safety and security,” Karen says. “It’s a blessing to them as well as to their families and the community.”

Council on Aging is grateful to the members of Impact100 Martin, the Wong Family Foundation, Cleveland Clinic Martin, the United Way of Martin County, and others for the generous contributions that helped us launch and staff the Elder Care Mobile Outreach Bus.

Learn more about it on our website.

Patients love the care they receive at the Day Primary Care Center on our Kane Center campus – so much so that our providers were rapidly outgrowing the space!

An expansion project has brought relief and excitement to both the staff and patients. Two 130.4 square foot treatment rooms were added, along with better storage facilities, ergonomic desks, and the technology needed for a modern and efficient medical practice. There is even room now for the dementia GUIDE Program Director, Navigator, and staff associates to work alongside the Day Primary team.

Looking for a knowledgeable, compassionate primary care physician? Call us at 772.223.7864 or go to the website to sign up as a new patient.

My work at Day Primary Care embodies my commitment to patient and family-centered care. Truly listening to our patients and their families is crucial for providing excellent care. I'm excited that our expansion allows us to serve more of our community, both current and new patients. It's rewarding to be part of an organization so dedicated to our community's well-being.

Johanna Job, MSN, APRN-BC

Most of us will be a caregiver at some time in our lives. The Council on Aging Martin County has developed many ways to support caregivers and the essential work they do in caring for the seniors in their lives.

Caring for someone you love can be one of life’s greatest challenges — but you don’t have to face it alone. Click here to read our CEO Karen Ripper’s recent column in Friends & Neighbors to find out more.

The 10th Annual Caregiver Workshop used movie themes and creative skits to help caregivers learn new skills for coping with the demands of being a caregiver. Be sure to keep in touch through this newsletter so you can attend the next Caregiver Workshop, planned for March 13, 2026.

April is officially Volunteer Appreciation Month, but we appreciate our Council on Aging volunteers every day!

At our annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon, CEO Karen Ripper thanked the many volunteers who perform a multitude of tasks to help the Council on Aging Martin County serve seniors. “We are deeply grateful for the invaluable contributions and unwavering dedication of our volunteers,” Karen said.

Whether they volunteer in the Meals on Wheels program delivering meals to seniors within our community, at the Reception Desk greeting every visitor that comes through the door, answering calls, or extending a helping hand in our Adult Day Club, their contributions are priceless.

Gary and Hannah Poos, two of our outstanding volunteers, said, “We are both very proud to participate in the Meals on Wheels program and be part of the contributions the Council on Aging makes in our wonderful community.”

Interested in volunteering? Check out the opportunities on our website.

Wait, were those guys really the original Rat Pack? The audience at the Kane Center loved every musical note during the concert featuring the Rat Pack tribute artists! One of our Council on Aging fans brought along a neighbor who was celebrating her 97th birthday, and the whole audience burst into song. 

What else is happening at the Kane Center? LOTS!!

The Council on Aging has lots of opportunities at the Kane Center for seniors to be active and engaged. You don’t have to train for a marathon or solve a Rubik’s cube. You just need to show up, enjoy yourself, exercise your muscles, learn new things, make friends, and age joyfully.

The Kane Center truly has something for everyone. Click here to get on the Kane Center Happenings mailing list.

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 Council on Aging’s 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. 

Please visit us in person, online at coamartin.org, or on social media, and learn more about the many services of the Council on Aging Martin County. Our staff and volunteers are ready and eager to help.