AGE-FRIENDLY ADVOCACY
Join statewide efforts to advance age-friendly systems, policies and innovations.
2025 DAY AT THE CAPITOL
Thursday, March 13, 2025
All are welcome to join a breakfast briefing at the Wilder Center, followed by meetings with lawmakers at the Minnesota State Capitol in the afternoon.
Registration is provided at no charge and limited stipends for community members are available.
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. In collaboration with community partners, join us for an age-friendly Day at the Capitol on Thursday, March 13, 2025 to ensure that the Age-Friendly Minnesota Council remains a powerful commitment to our future. I hope to see you in St. Paul!
Sherrie Pugh, Chair
Age-Friendly Minnesota Council
A WEEK OF ADVOCACY
Even if you can't make it to the State Capitol, this is a week where EVERYONE is encouarged to share their age-friendly story with their elected officials. Join in efforts to help set the stage for our powerful gathering in St. Paul at the State Capitol.
Calling Your Legislators
On Monday, March 10, 2025 place a phone call to your State Representative and State Senator.
Social Media Outreach
On Tuesday, March 11, 2025 reach out to all of your elected officials with a social media post. #agefriendlymn
Email Your Lawmakers
On Wednesday, March 12, 2025 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
On Thursday, March 13, 2025 join us for a collective age-friendly Day at the Capitol. Make your appointments and sign-up for the briefing!
MARCH 13, 2025 DAY AT THE CAPITOL
QUICK LINKS
LUNCH
Given legislative appointments fall at different times, we invite you to enjoy lunch whenever and wherever it makes the most sense in your day. In addition to the many great local restaurants there are two options at the State Capitol open for lunch until 1:30 p.m.
- Rathskeller (Capitol) Cafe
(State Capitol Basement)
- Centennial Office Building Cafeteria
(658 Cedar Street)
AGENDA
8:30 a.m. Registration & Breakfast
Sign-in and enjoy a networking breakfast
9:00 a.m.
Legislative Briefing
- Understand what to expect with the shifting political dynamics at the State Capitol.
- Review the status of age-friendly legislation and recommended talking points.
9:30 a.m. Advocacy Training
Learn from our experts how to increase your effectiveness when meeting with your lawmakers and telling your age-friendly story.
11:30 a.m. Travel to the State Capitol
Join us as a large group, as we take the Metro Green Line from the Lexington Pkwy Station to the State Capitol/Rice St Station, where volunteers will direct you to your legislators meetings or grab lunch. An accessible shuttle bus will also be available.
12:00 p.m. Legislative Meetings
Note: if you aren't able to secure an appointment time, or your House or Senate member is in a committee or floor session, we will help invite lawmakers into the hall.
Attendees can depart after you meet with your State Representative and State Senator.
8:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Breakfast Briefing
Wilder Center Auditorium
451 Lexington Parkway North
St. Paul, MN 55104
12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Legislator Meetings
Minnesota State Capitol
75 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
St. Paul, MN 55155
SETTING UP YOUR MEETINGS
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 at the State Capitol on March 13 supporting an age-friendly efforts, and that you are hoping for a few minutes of their time between 12 noon - 2 p.m. to talk about age-friendly opportunities in your district and for Minnesota.
SPECIAL NOTE:
If you are told that your legislators are unavailable because they are in a committee meeting or a floor session, you should still attend!
We will assist you in sending in a note to pull your lawmaker(s), into the hallway for a brief conversation. Trust us - it works.
"If you run into any challenges in setting up your meetings or have questions about these visits with your State Representative and State Senator, please reach out via email or call me at 612-201-6840 and I’d be happy to assist."
Farah Baig, Legislative Coordinator.
Age-Friendly Minnesota Council
TRANSPORTATION I DIRECTIONS
Free ramp parking is available for all participants at our gathering point:
Amherst H. Wilder Center
451 Lexington Parkway North
St. Paul, MN 55104
A Short Light Rail Journey
After the briefing, we will travel as a large group out Wilder's front door to the Lexington Pkwy Station, where we will take the METRO Green Line four stops east to the Capitol/Rice St. Station.
FREE train passes will be provided to all participants.
Prefer to Drive?
Parking can be a challenge, but you can also take your car to the State Capitol. Below is a map of public lots. We suggest starting with Lot AA or Ramp F pictured on the left side in yellow.
Accessibility
While we encourage all attendees to take the train or drive, a complimentary shuttle bus provided by DARTS will run in a loop between the Wilder Center and the Minnesota State Capitol from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. for those requiring an accessible option.
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 Adam Suomala.
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.