AHA!! A Happy New Year Wish for  fellow Baby Boomers in 2007!

Imagine you have jumped forward in time 20 years and you are beginning to research your old age housing options. You remember what you went thru with your parents and you swore you would help create new possibilities for you and your family's future now.

So of your 2007 New Year resolutions, is to do a search online for an organization that you could get involved with  that could help you explore the possibilities for your familys future and you find the Alliance for Holistic Aging  better known as AHA!
 
Imagine that you have access to an incubator that serves as a vessel that allows for new ideas and options to percolate, says Joni Seivert, co-founder of the Alliance. Her partner, Jeff Rubin, serves as the Chair for this collaborating effort.  He is joined by many people around the country who understand the need for laying the foundation for this new social entrepreneurial national non-profit model, that will focus on attracting other like minded boomers who are out there wanting to co-create a new future for themselves and their families. We realize and understand that we cannot expect the government to do this for us and we are much better at meeting our own needs anyway!

What you find at AHA!  is this person centered organization that has made it one of their goals to help families create what they want for their future and you are excited about joining forces with them so you can create something that you can share with your children and grandchildren. This concept allows you to age in place with your family, never needing to go to a facility and pay out the monthly fees; and allows your financial assets to continue working for you and your family today and in the future.  A dream and a goal we all can have just need a little help making it happen. "You bring together the right skill-sets and you would be amazed what you can create!" Joni says.

AHA! has a link on their website at www.holisticaging.org called Forums where you can participate in this dialogue and others.  They are also a travel agent; where you can co-create travel trips, lifelong learning, and fundraising for other non-profit associations who are looking for creative ways to generate new funding streams to support their organizations mission.

We know that 95% of boomers want to travel and want to use that time off to explore their options for the future. Supporting the notion of working smarter and not harder is another piece of wisdom we all want to act on.  After looking at AHAs membership benefits, you decide to support their intention and join the Alliance and begin sharing in an online dialogue with Joni and Jeff and other baby boomers around the country about how to go about creating what you want for you and your family for the future.

"It is so exciting because we can do this and the future is depending on us to do it!" says Seivert. "We have to be willing to invest in our future and help out those who are trying to create new ventures that can help us make our dreams for a better future come true", says Rubin.

The Alliance is always looking for others who get what they are trying to do and are willing to invest their money, time and talent in the cause of creating something new and better for our future.

"We created the Alliance because we believe that one of the many strengths of being a baby boomer is that we are a generation who believes we can create a  better future that looks different than what we have available to us today", says Joni Seivert. Joni has served many generations in Denver Colorado, thru her 20 year old company, that started as a vision and a dream called, Connections Unlimited LLC (www.jonisconnections.com).  Connections Unlimited is a network of preferred providers of services, products, professionals, and long term care housing options. I have been doing holistic assessments for families, including problem solving through referrals, and placement for families who are dealing with the special needs of their loved ones and dont know where to start or who to trust.

"I realize that I'm good at seeing a need and creating options to fulfill those needs.  I want to keep doing this as long as I can. Trained back in Minnesota as a special needs specialist 35 years ago, I have extensive experience working with community systems and helping people cut through the red tape and solving their own needs. The intention is always to help empower people to be as independent and as happy as they can be contributing their gifts to the world and feeling a part of the greater good. We all strive to find our purpose and in today's world we have to realize as a species we have used up most of our natural resources. Our future depends on us sharing our gifts, talents and wisdom to help ourselves and future generations."

"That is why the Alliance also focuses on creating everything for the future to be intergenerational and inclusive. Too many people have fallen through the cracks and when you try to help another person, you want to include them in their own process so they can take responsibility for doing their part in making their own lives work. People can take pride in their accomplishments and then in turn help others do the same thing. Its like the notion of teaching a person how to fish for themselves so they don't become dependent on you for their fish!"

It was Joni's next dream to create some proactive options through an online dialogue with other boomers around the country who believe they can co-create a better future that will fit their family's future housing and services needs.

"The trend for the past has been very crisis oriented and reactive decision making on behalf of your aging loved ones, and I know I want something different for myself. I have talked with my children and friends about this idea for many years and feel I have something that I can create with others that will be a legacy that makes sense in so many ways. One gift of the internet is that you are able to share with so many people. The notion of having circles of conversation is something we can do locally in our communities and online. Meg Wheatley planted this seed in our hearts and souls while she was speaking at Denver University after 911. I vowed to do my part and Jeff has been leading the way with this idea through the Community Roundtables here in Denver and other parts of the country through the Alliance for Holistic Aging" (www.holisticaging.org - roundtables link).

"We can create whatever we need to better serve our families' needs in the future", Rubin says.
Quoting Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

If you are interested in joining the Alliance by becoming a voice in their dialogue, please go to their website at www.holisticaging.org and click on Membership and/or Forums and chime in. They look forward to hearing from you and welcome your input to creating a new future for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren. They can also help you create roundtables in your local community.
 
We don't want you to grow old and regret that you missed out on the opportunity to become part of something that was there waiting for you all along, and you simply forgot to get involved and do your part in co-creating a future that you can be proud to pass onto your family's next generation.

Happy New Year!