AGE-FRIENDLY ADVOCACY
Join statewide efforts to advance age-friendly systems, policies and innovations.
A LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
My Fellow Minnesotans,
Your Age-Friendly Minnesota Council is doing great work, but we need your help! We are enhancing age-friendly systems within state agencies, making investments in the innovative ideas from communities across the state, and we just released the first iteration of Minnesota's Multisector Blueprint for Aging. This meaningful work is just getting started, but without legislative action, our shared efforts will soon come to an end.
You can make a difference! I'm asking you to stand with me to share your age-friendly story and support our collective work. Help us ensure that the Age-Friendly Minnesota Council remains a powerful commitment to our future.
Sherrie Pugh, Chair
Age-Friendly Minnesota Council
Everyone is encouarged to share their age-friendly story with their elected officials and to help us explain why the collaborative work of the Age-Friendly Minnesota Council must continue. Have your voice heard - reach out today in one of the following ways:
Calling Your Legislators
Place a phone call to your State Representative and State Senator.
Social Media Outreach
Reach out to all of your elected officials with a social media post. #agefriendlymn
Email Your Lawmakers
Drop an e-mail to all of the lawmakers in your network to share your age-friendly story and request their support.
Visiting Your Legislators
Come to St. Paul by setting up a brief meeting with your State Representative and Senator at the State Capitol
CHIEF AUTHORS
On March 13, 2025 we received bipartisan support from key legislative leaders. Both the House and Senate files have met the second committee deadline and are on track!
Senate File 2630 was heard in the Senate Human Services Committee on 3/19/25 and laid over for inclusion in the omnibus bill.
House File 2646 was heard in the House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee on 4.2.25 and laid over for inclusion in the omnibus bill
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
JOE SCHOMACKER (R-21A)
Chair, House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee
SETTING UP MEETINGS WITH YOUR LAWMAKERS
Age-friendly advocates GEORGIA LANE and JULIE WILSON take a moment out of their day to talk their State Senator GRANT HAUSCHILD (DFL-3) in his St. Paul office while attending the March 13, 2025 Age-Friendly Day at the Capitol.
Setting up meetings with your State Representative and State Senator is fast and easy, and anyone can do it!
Simply reach out by phone, email, or Mail Form to connect with their Legislative Assistant. Let them know that you are a constituent that will be in St. Paul and that you are hoping for a few minutes of their time to talk about age-friendly opportunities in your district and for Minnesota.
NAVIGATING THE CAPITOL COMPLEX
STATE CAPITOL
I 75 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
- The best entrance is the large staircase to the front doors.
- For an accessible entrance, enter through the Senate Building and take the tunnel to the Capitol Building.
- Floor 2: Senate Floor Sessions (you can give a note to a paige and pull them off the floor just to the right of the Senate Chamber doors)
- Floor 2: House Floor Sessions (you can give a note to a paige requesting to pull them off the floor in Room 214)
- All House Committee Meetings (during session)
SENATE BUILDING
I 95 University Ave W.
- All Senate Offices
- All Senate Committee Meetings
- Open to the public; you can go directly to your Senator's legislative assistant, who will welcome you.
CENTENNIAL BUILDING
I 658 Cedar Street
- All State Representative offices (during construction on the State Office Building)
- Floor 1: public cafeteria has space to hold your meetings.
- Floor 2: GOP caucus (requires appointment + staff escort)
- Floor 5 DFL caucus (requires appointment + staff escort)
QUESTIONS
SHERRIE PUGH
Chair
Age-Friendly Minnesota Council
MICHAEL SAINDON
Interim Director
Age-Friendly Minnesota Council
FARAH BAIG
Legislative Coordinator
Age-Friendly Minnesota Council
RAJEAN MOONE
Community Member
Age-Friendly Minnesota Council
CASSANDRA MOORE
Principal
ReconnectMN
ADAM SUOMALA
Executive Director, Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging
BACKGROUND
Learn more about effective age-friendly advocacy.
Learn more about how to tell your story with the media.
Learn more about the impact our grants are making.
Learn more about the Multisector Blueprint for Aging.
AGE-FRIENDLY STORIES
Keep reading to learn about just a few of the hundreds of Age-Friendly Minnesota grantees moving our state forward.
WONDERLUST PRODUCTIONS
Based on true stories and featuring performances from a mix of actors and real caregivers, the production brings forward the unseen and undervalued labor of caregiving.
HOW IS AGE-FRIENDLY SPARKING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT CAREGIVING?
As an Age-Friendly Minnesota grantee, Wanderlust Productions offered sold-out shows for their production Thank You For Holiding: The Caregiver Play Project.
As the culmination of two years of intereviews and story circles involving nearly 150 caregivers from a diverse mix of communities across the twin cities, this productuion explored questions of what community looks like, and how as a society we care.
For over a decade, Wonderlust has used their creative design process to help complex communities share and connect through stories. This production ran October 18 - November 3, 2024.
LEARN MORE
HOW IS AGE-FRIENDLY IMPROVING COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS?
Keystone Community Services worked to develop a community engagement approach for the Karen, Latino, and Ethiopian/Eritrean communities. They worked to identify barriers, perceptions and insights to make improvements in their older adult programs and events. With an Age-Friendly Minnesota grant and the help of consultants, translators, and key staff, they took great caution in extrapolating findings for these communities through community dialogue sessions and individual interviews. Participants reported feeling honored that Keystone valued their insights and in having their voices influencing future decisions. Valuable recommendations included ideas for enhanced social and recreational activities, addressing transportation barriers, the accessibility and affordability of programs, improved awareness and outreach, enhanced cultural competency and inclusivity, tailored supports and services, and accessible gathering spaces.
KEYSTONE COMMUNITY SERVICES
Ensuring cultural relevance and building authentic and enduring relationships with under-represented community members.
LEARN MORE
HOW IS AGE-FRIENDLY GETTING PEOPLE MOVING?
The group Cycling Without Age Alexandria proved they could make a lot of impact from a little seed funding. With a modest $9,100 Age-Friendly Minnesota grant, they kickstarted efforts to bring trishaw bikes in from Denmark. With a cost of $10,000-15,000 per bike, our grant wasn't enough to launch the effort, but that support got partners like
Big Ole Bike Club
and
Alexandria Mountaineers
to the table to help raise a total of $61,379.96 and get their region moving! Their effort included 12 pilots that included 140 volunteer pilot hours, 8 support volunteers, and 300 hours of administrative volunteer hours.
They're going places!
FRIENDS & CO
"We are excited to report that based on initial program data, a stunning 97% of participants reported that their experience in Community Conversations was worthwhile."
HOW IS AGE-FRIENDLY REDUCING SOCIAL ISOLATION?
As an Age-Friendly Minnesota grantee, Friends & Co held Community Conversations at 11 locations across the state, including their first Spanish-speaking event. Conversations in Spanish revealed specific needs of older adults, and in response, Friends & Co. partnered with DARTS to pilot Café, Pan y Conexión - an initiative providing Spanish-speaking older adults with new opportunities for connection, and helping communities drive their own solutions for reducing isolation throughout the metro.
An additional five more conversations are planned by end of June 2024, including a series engaging members of the LGBTQ+ community. In June, overall findings will be summarized into an open report that can inform programming throughout Minnesota.
LEARN MORE
HOW IS AGE-FRIENDLY IMPROVING OUR ENVIRONMENT?
First-time grant writer Renee Ehlenz submitted an Age-Friendly Minnesota grant application, and teamed up with Prairie Eco-Links, a local environmental advocacy group that she is a part of, as well as the Lac qui Parle Soil and Water Conservation District, Heather Nursery, and the Youth Eco Solutions team for planning and planting efforts.
In this city of about 1,500 in western Minnesota, hundreds of trees had been lost over the years to disease and storms. Now, thanks to this modest grant, 150 new trees have been “adopted” by residents, local organizations, and businesses. Through a gorgeous planting day, community members came together to share knowledge, work together in service of strengthen community bonds and build new intergenerational relationships!
LAC QUI PARLE SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT/CITY OF MADISON
Spearheaded by an older resident, the city of Madison planted 150 large new trees through an intergenerational community project.
Do you have questions about meeting with your lawmakers? Contact Farah Baig.
Do you want to learn about how to get engaged in some age-friendly advocacy.
To learn more about the Age-Friendly Minnesota Council, visit our full website.
In 2023, the Age-Friendly Minnesota Council asked MN Leadership Council on Aging to create and
maintain this site to promote events, disseminate resources, and showcase age-friendly activities.