For more information call the Francis B. Wyatt Recreation Center at (423) 757-5443 or call Ginny Stone, Alexian Brothers Senior Neighbors Chattanooga Senior Olympics District Coordinator at (423) 755-6114.

The Chattanooga District Senior Olympics will be held May 2-7, 2011 in locations across the Chattanooga area. Call (423) 755-6114 to request that a registration form be mailed to you. Registration for the Chattanooga District Senior Olympics ends April 1, 2011.

This year’s Senior Olympics will feature: swimming, basketball free throw, bowling, volleyball, track and field, pickleball, tennis, horseshoes, table tennis, softball throw, softball, ballroom dancing, 5K run, cycling, golf, power walk, shuffleboard, badminton, basketball 3-on-3, weightlifting and racquetball. The games are open to anyone who is 50 or older and who lives in the state of Tennessee. Residents of Alabama or Georgia who live within 30 miles of the Hamilton County/Marion County, Tennessee state line are also eligible to participate. Participants who are 49 years old are eligible to participate if their 50th birthday occurs before December 31, 2011.

The Chattanooga District Senior Olympics will begin with a torch relay through downtown Chattanooga on May 2. The torch relay will begin at the Alexian Brothers Senior Neighbors building at 250 E. 10^th Street at 11 a.m. and end at the First Tennessee Pavilion where the Opening Ceremony will begin at 12 p.m.  

The Tennessee Senior Olympics began in 1981 with a mission that has continued for over 25 years: to promote healthy lifestyles for senior adults through fitness, sports and an active involvement in life. The Senior Olympics encourages older adults to stay active, and gives them a reason to renew past skills or learn new ones.  Key goals are to: maintain and improve the health and wellness of Tennessee’s seniors, provide a competitive athletic, recreational and creative experience and to provide an opportunity for socialization for seniors from across the state.

The Chattanooga District Senior Olympics are organized each year by: Alexian Brothers Senior Neighbors and the Chattanooga Parks and Recreation Department. The Chattanooga District Senior Olympics are sponsored by: Alexian Brothers Senior Ministries and Blue Cross Blue Shield.

For more information on the Chattanooga District Senior Olympics, call (423) 755-6114 or visit www.AlexianSeniorNeighbors.org.

Attached picture: (l/r) Charlie Baker and Warren Barger play pickleball in the 2010 Chattanooga District Senior Olympics

­­­­­­­­­­­­More information on Alexian Brothers Senior Ministries:

For nearly 800 years, the Alexian Brothers have served and cared for others. The same beliefs that inspired the founders of this ministry sustain its organization today. The Alexian Brothers mission is put into action by the commitment to promote the physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being of all individuals served through their ten local ministries. Through this commitment, Alexian Brothers Senior Ministries has come to be recognized as the area’s leading innovator in the coordination and delivery of comprehensive services to older adults.

Alexian Brothers Senior Ministries is comprised of ten Chattanooga area ministries: Alexian Village of Tennessee, Alexian Grove, Alexian Brothers Live At Home Program, Lone Oak Free Health and Dental Clinic, Alexian Inn, Alexian Brothers Valley Residence, Alexian Brothers Health Care Center, Alexian Brothers Home Care, Alexian Brothers PACE Program and Senior Neighbors, an Alexian Brothers ministry.

For more information on Alexian Brothers Senior Ministries, please call (423) 755-6100 or visit www.AlexianBrothers.net.

More information on Senior Neighbors, an Alexian Brothers ministry:

Senior Neighbors, one of the ten area Alexian Brothers ministries, was founded nearly 50 years ago in Chattanooga by Ginny Power. Designed to help seniors in our area age successfully, Senior Neighbors provides vocational, social, mental, spiritual and physical opportunities for seniors at four community centers. Membership to Senior Neighbors is just $25 a year and includes the following programs and events:  

• 3 Senior Centers in downtown Chattanooga and 1 in Soddy Daisy with activities Monday through Friday of each week
• The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) which places senior volunteers with non-profit agencies in the Chattanooga area
• The Chattanooga District Senior Olympics  
• The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) which places qualifying older adults in paid temporary community service positions with local non-profit agencies and government organizations 
• Computer, ballroom dance, yoga, gardening and Tai Chi classes
• Monthly men’s luncheon featuring a different speaker each month
• Day and overnight bus trips
• Open computer lab
• Scenic City Chorale and Senior Neighbors Orchestra
• Health and wellness screenings
• Foreign language and art clubs
• Free Lunch and Learn events

Although some activities require an extra admission charge, most are available to seniors with only the $25 per year membership fee. 

For more information on Senior Neighbors, please call (423) 755-6100 or visit www.AlexianSeniorNeighbors.org.