Today is National Senior Citizens Day!

How will you celebrate?

August 21 is National Senior Citizens Day on the National Day Calendar to recognize the achievements of the more mature representatives of our nation. The day provides an opportunity to show our appreciation for their dedication, accomplishments, and services they give throughout their lives.

On August 19, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed Proclamation 5847 declaring August 21st as National Senior Citizens Day.

National Day Calendar gives us 5 ideas on how to celebrate:

1. Spend time with the senior citizens you know. Let them know they are appreciated and loved.
2. Today is a good day to volunteer at a retirement home. Share your smile with those who may not otherwise get a visitor today. 
3. If you are a senior citizen, check for special discounts and promotions that may be offered at stores and restaurants in your area.
4. Talk to a senior citizen and learn about their life. Let them share their life story with you. You might be surprised on what you learn about them.
5. Use #SeniorCitizensDay to post on social media.

Friendship.us shared stories of successful seniors. Check out these amazing stories!

‍10 Stories of Successful Seniors

Aging gracefully by accepting that getting older means slowing down and not looking or acting younger than you are is absolutely outdated! As these successful seniors show, aging gracefully is really to live with purpose and make the most of life.

1. Colonel Harland Sanders – Established the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant chain at age 65; nine years and 600 franchises later he sold his share for millions.

2. Laura Ingalls Wilder – Began writing “Little House on the Prairie” at age 65; it later became a beloved television series.

3. Estelle Getty – After years as a relatively unsuccessful actress, she achieved widespread fame at the age of 63 as Sophia in “The Golden Girls” television series.

4. Grandma Moses – The American folk artist whose work was featured at the MoMA in New York and who graced the cover of Time in 1953, didn’t even begin painting until she was 78.

5. Yuichiro Miura – In 2014, he became the oldest person to reach the top of Mount Everest at age 80 and has said he would like to try again at age 90.

6. Rosemary Smith – A rally race champion in the 1960s, she became the oldest person to drive a Formula 1 car in 2017 when she was 79.

7.  Doris Self – Recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “oldest video game champion” at the age of 58 by scoring 1,112,300 points in the arcade game Q*bert.

8. Smoky Dawson – Known as Australia’s first cowboy and a pioneer of Western music, he became the oldest person to compose, record, and release a new album at 92 years old.

9. Mohr Keet – This WWII veteran became the world’s oldest bungee jumper in 2010 at the age of 96 (he didn’t begin jumping until the age of 88).

10. Harriette Thompson – A cancer survivor who ran her first marathon at the age of 76, and at 91 years old completed her 15th marathon becoming the second-oldest marathon runner in U.S history.

Click HERE for more information on National Seniors Day.