A millennium calendar contest was announced today to celebrate the special relationships between Island seniors and children, and the International Year of Older Persons.
During the month of October, grade four students across PEI are invited to submit a drawing of themselves sharing a favourite activity with a grandparent or other older person they love. Twelve drawings will be selected for a year 2000 calendar, one for each month of the year. All students who enter the contest will receive a free calendar. The deadline for entries is October 31, 1999.
The contest was announced today by the planning committee for the International Year of Older Persons Planning Committee, and the Departments of Health and Education.
IYOP Committee Chair Anna Duffy said the calendar is one of several legacies to the International Year of Older Persons (1999) being planned by Islanders.
Seniors and youth will be planting three red oak trees in each of the five health regions on the International Day of Older Persons, October 1, 1999. Special plaques will indicate that the trees were planted as a permanent legacy to the International Year of Older Persons. The trees have been donated by Island Nature Trust.
Health and Social Services Minister Mildred Dover said the theme of intergenerational involvement is a very appropriate one to commemorate the International Year of Older Persons.
"It is important to recognize the vital contributions that seniors make to younger generations. Seniors are the guardians of our Island history and culture, and the transmitters of skills and knowledge from one generation to another," she said.
International Year of Older Persons lapel pins continue to be sold with proceeds going towards a scholarship in gerontology, and other IYOP projects.
For more information, contact a member of the International Year of Older Persons Planning Committee or Pat Malone, Seniors Liaison Coordinator, Department of Health and Social Services, 902 368 6190.