Dakota County proclaims May 2025 Older Americans Month and presents Public Health Achievement Awards

The Dakota County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on May 6, 2025, to proclaim May 2025 as Older Americans Month and then presented the county's 2025 Public Health Achievement Awards to a youth group, an individual and a community organization.

Public-health program manager Jess Luce told the board the proclamation supports a countywide effort to "flip the script on aging," and outlined county services aimed at helping older residents remain independent. "This year's theme, flipping the script, focuses on transforming how society perceives, talks about, and approaches aging," Luce said.

Luce said older adults account for more than 15% of Dakota County residents according to the most recent census figures she cited, and that the Minnesota Department of Human Services projects the county's population age 65 and older will grow from about 40,000 in 2010 to nearly 115,000 by 2030. She reviewed programs that serve older adults, including library outreach, parks and recreation offerings, and home- and community-based supports that seek to keep people in their homes.

County figures presented during the meeting included: 801 participants at 65 library events designed for older adults in 2024, 680 older adult library customers receiving services such as books-by-mail as of April 1, 2025, and regular library visits to roughly 20 senior living facilities per month. In aging services, Luce reported that 152 initial MinnesotaChoices assessments have been completed in 2025 so far and an additional 54 were scheduled for May; she said the county expects to exceed recent annual levels of initial assessments. Luce also provided current caseload counts: 270 individuals open to alternative care case management, 267 open to elderly waiver case management and 5 enrolled in essential community supports.

After the proclamation, the board presented Public Health Achievement Awards. The youth award went to the District 197 Live Green student clubs (West St. Paul, Mendota Heights, Eagan Area School District 197). Luce described Live Green projects including cafeteria waste sorting, school forests, native prairie restoration, and international solar suitcase work. Student Orion, representing Heritage (East End) Middle School's Live Green Club, said, "I just wanted to make a difference," and described school cleanups and sorting work.

The individual award was presented to Anne Bailey, president of DARTs, a Dakota County nonprofit that provides transportation and an array of supports for older adults. Bailey recounted her long involvement in the county's aging services and thanked the board: "I'm touched. I was surprised and humbled to receive this award," she said.

The community-group award went to the Open Door, a local hunger-relief organization that the county said serves more than 15,000 Dakota County residents per month and distributes over 3 million pounds of food a year; the board noted the Open Door's pop-up pantry work in Farmington serving senior apartment residents.

Jess Luce said the awards and proclamation are intended to recognize community partners and reinforce county programs that help older residents access services and remain connected. The board then approved the Older Americans Month resolution and the awards presentation in roll-call votes; the motions carried with all commissioners present voting in favor and absent commissioners noted in the meeting record.

The county staff and community partners invited award recipients to a reception after the meeting. Board members and staff emphasized continued collaboration across departments and nonprofits to respond to an aging population.