First Citizens Heritage Club Offers Ways to Celebrate National Grandparents Day: September 10, 2006

(Mason City, Iowa)- With seniors living longer, healthier lives than at any other time in history, there’s a lot to celebrate on National Grandparents Day, September 10. At the beginning of the 20th century, the average lifespan was 47. Today, that’s the average age of a first-time grandparent according to Patty Paul, a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)® and the Heritage Club Coordinator at First Citizens National Bank in Mason City. “Grandparents are doing so much today that it’s important to recognize their contributions. Currently, there are 70 million grandparents in the US. Nearly six million grandparents live with one or more of their grandchildren under 18 years old, and nearly 60% of grandparents are younger than 60,” Paul said. What do grandparents want for Grandparents Day? “Like everyone else, what seniors want from us is what we are often least likely to give, and that’s our time and our company,” Paul said.

She suggests these activities to make this Grandparents Day special:

• Create a Family History- This will give the grandchildren important family history. Record or videotape grandparents’ reminiscences to create a long-lasting memory.

•  Play a Game- Mind-challenging puzzles and games are excellent tools for boosting the entire family’s brainpower.

• Create a Time Capsule - Take some of your grandparents’ personal items, such as an old hat or piece of costume jewelry and combine it with some of your own. Put it in an old coffee canister and bury it in the backyard.

• Draw a treasure map for future generations to find. Grandparents Day was founded by Marian H. McQuade with the hope of bringing grandchildren to visit their lonely relatives in nursing homes.

Implemented by Jimmy Carter in 1978, the national holiday was designated as the first Sunday after Labor Day.

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