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ALTON - Senior Services Plus has several events coming up for older adults to enjoy.
Located at 2603 North Rodgers Avenue in Alton, SSP offers many fitness classes, personal training options, assistance programs and more. They have a special panel discussion about scams planned for 12 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, followed by their annual Speed Connections event scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.
The Consumer Fraud Panel, sponsored by AARP Illinois, will discuss common scams to watch out for. Marsha Griffin, Community Outreach Liaison for Office of the Illinois Attorney General, and Scott Verseman, Fraud & Corruption Section Chief for the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Illinois, will be on hand at SSP to answer questions and provide information about common consumer scams.
“They’re going to come in, give you advice, what to avoid, what to watch out for,” explained Leslie, a representative with SSP. “They’ve got all kinds of information. And things are always coming up. There's always something new that they’re trying to pull over on people. So we like to try to keep this at least once a year so you can hear about the new scams that are going on. There’s always something you can learn with this.”
The panel is free and open to the public. While SSP primarily serves older adults, Leslie noted that this information is useful for all community members.
“Even if you aren’t an older adult but you’ve got an older adult in your life and you’re trying to figure out the information for yourself and how you can protect them, you’re more than welcome to come,” Leslie said.
Doors open at 11 a.m. on Jan. 31 and lunch will be served at 11:45 a.m., followed by the panel at 12 p.m. Call Leslie at 618-465-3298 ext. 123 to RSVP. For more information, visit the official Facebook event page.
One week later, on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, older adults are invited back to SSP to enjoy Speed Connections, an event modeled after speed dating that encourages connection between community members aged 55 and up.
Like speed dating, people rotate and talk to one another for 2–3 minutes. SSP has prepared “some lighthearted questions to guide the conversation” if desired, said Sydney, a representative with SSP. The goal is to promote conversations between community members.
“Romance or friendship,” Sydney said. “No pressure for love. No pressure for anything if you don’t want. It’s just a safe space to meet anyone in the community, honestly, 55 and up.”
After the timed portion of the event, there will be a chance to mingle and enjoy coffee, tea and cookies. Sydney emphasized that people have formed lasting friendships through the Speed Connections event.
She has everyone’s contact information, and individuals can request each other’s phone numbers after the event. If there is mutual interest, she will share the contact information.
“You don’t have to feel uncomfortable that some weirdo is going to contact you,” she joked. “We’ve had some people that would meet up at SSP and eat lunch together. There were some ladies who wanted to go hiking together. There were some men and women that met up to go on a dinner date. Anything could happen. No pressure for anything crazy, but it’s just fun.”
Tickets to the Speed Connections event cost $10. You can purchase tickets online or call Sydney at 618-465-3298 ext. 116 for more information. Visit the official Facebook event page to learn more.
Check out the official Senior Services Plus website at SeniorServicesPlus.org to learn more about SSP’s services, events and resources.