The 37th annual Senior Enrichment Day will be held Wednesday, June 24, at Big Rapids High School.

The day begins with registration at 8 a.m. and includes time slots for four seminars and a luncheon. The event is expected to conclude at approximately 3 p.m.

This year’s seminar series offers a choice of more than 40 diverse educational sessions, providing a “one-stop shop” for vital information for seniors. Options include fitness classes, painting, floral design, woodburning, birding, financial planning, veterans benefits and more. The sessions are 45 minutes long and are designed for seniors, their children and caregivers.During the luncheon, recipients of the Mary Pine Award will be announced. The award honors special citizens 55 and older who use the gifts of a long and productive life to benefit the Mecosta County area in a positive way.

Additionally, Thomas Hogenson Senior Enrichment Day Scholarships are available to those in need. Tom’s work at the local hospital first led him to become involved in the Mecosta County Commission on Aging’s Senior Enrichment Day. He served on the planning committee for more than 25 years and attended the event as a hospital representative. A major proponent of the event, he often expressed his admiration for the commitment and hard work of its coordinators. He later served as emcee for the luncheon program and was proud to be part of the Mary Pine Awards program. After Tom lost his brief battle with cholangiocarcinoma in 2022, the Commission on Aging celebrated his service with a lifetime achievement award. In 2023, Tom’s wife, Kathy, and daughter, Anne, began a Senior Enrichment Day scholarship in his honor.

The scholarship covers the cost of attendance for those facing financial hardship, in hopes of making the event Tom loved so much accessible to even more Mecosta County seniors.Registration materials for the Senior Enrichment Day may be found at locations throughout the county, including the Mecosta County Senior Center, Jordan Balkema Elder Law Care, Lake Osceola State Bank, the Morton Township Library, the Wheatland Township Library and many area churches. The materials may also be found online at www.seniorenrichmentday.com.

For more information, contact the Mecosta County Commission on Aging at 231-972-2884.