How did it all get started?

Have you ever wanted to thank someone – truly thank them from the bottom of your heart – for helping you?  Thank your Mom for teaching you to be polite or how to tie your shoes, or thank your Dad for helping you learn how to ride a bike or stand up for yourself or your Grandparents for sticking up for you, a teacher or your first boss for showing you the ropes?

Have you ever attended a special event or watched an award show on TV?  You probably noticed that quite often, in fact almost 9 out of 11 times, recipients thank their Moms & Dads, or mentors, or a special grandparent for helping them carve their paths and find their “legs” to begin their own journey.    It is clear that successful people are often grateful to the person(s) who inspired them and stood in their corner to cheer them on!

Knowing those same people are part of a generation that came before us, it calls to mind the rapidly aging population and the growing needs we face as the largest generation of older adults in history comes to be.

Asking the hard question as to how to honor the generation who led the way for us while grappling with the capacity to serve them led the founder and staff at the Atlanta Regional Commission, Area Agency on Aging, to establish the Thanks Mom & Dad Fund®.  Read more in the brief history.