Proclamation 5341—Senior Center Week, 1985

Older Americans are as diverse and fascinating as America itself. The memories they carry with them constitute a living treasury of knowledge about the history of our times. But older Americans are far more than just a repository of knowledge about the past. They are living active lives today and contributing greatly to enriching the lives of their families, friends, and communities.

One of the objectives of the Older Americans Act is to help older Americans secure the full enjoyment of their freedom to participate in our Nation's life. Senior centers play a very important role in achieving this goal by tapping older people's experience, skills, and knowledge and providing a focus for their energies. These centers are helping to realize the theme of this year's Older Americans Month, which is now in progress: "Help Yourself to Independence."

The activities sponsored by senior centers are as various and interesting as the citizens who make use of them. Courses on art and literature, discussions of current events, and training sessions on how to use a computer are among the wide variety of events that occur in senior centers. The staffs of these centers are to be commended for their spirit of innovation and their dedication to enhancing the lives of older Americans. Once again, Americans are showing that anything is possible if we have the faith, the will, and the heart.

The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 60, has designated the week beginning May 12, 1985, through May 18, 1985, as "Senior Center Week" and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this event.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week of May 12, 1985, as Senior Center Week, and I call upon the people of the United States to honor older Americans and those local organizations that bring together activities and services for their benefit.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and ninth.

RONALD REAGAN