Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined

Founder and Executive Director Donna V. Werner’s humanitarian journey began in 2016, when she attended a conference in Toronto, Canada, as an international delegate from the United States. There, she met a gentleman from Kenya who had recently started a school and invited Donna to help support the children. She traveled to Kenya in June 2017 to see the needs firsthand. Upon returning she noted, “I am no longer the same person. Visiting Kenya changed me.”

Donna soon established a 501(c)(3): Dorcas Destiny International. DDI has since grown from one relationship with one school into an organization with Kenyan staff and programs serving communities in several parts of the country. Today, DDI coordinates daily feeding for more than 700 children and also provides educational enrichment, social work and home visits, scholarships, and emergency assistance.

DDI's scholarship program helps students continue into high school, with the larger vision of helping young people not only complete secondary education but have the opportunity to pursue university, vocational training, and productive futures.

One of DDI’s most significant next steps is the development of Beloved Destiny Children’s Home in Lodwar, Turkana County where DDI currently supports 36 vulnerable children, many who experience life on the streets, hunger, abandonment, or severe family hardship. The vision is to establish a safe, stable home while working with local authorities and families toward education, care, family tracing, and reunification whenever possible.

What began with one invitation to visit one school has become a growing international ministry—and Donna continues to ask others to find their place in the story.

Dorcas Destiny International (DDI) is a thriving nonprofit providing tangible support to children and women in Kenya, East Africa, since June 2017. DDI serves hundreds of children and families living in extreme poverty through daily nutrition, education, scholarships, crisis assistance, community development, and other programs designed to create lasting impact.

Website: https://DorcasDestinyIntl.org.

You can reach Donna directly by calling her at 773-505-3378

or via email at [email protected].

THANKS TO OUR PLATINUM SPONSOR, AARP ILLINOIS a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 1.7 million members in Illinois, AARP volunteers advocate for better health, financial security and stronger communities.

VisitAARP.org/IL to learn more.

What can we learn from older adults who maintain remarkable memory and cognitive health well into their 80s and beyond? Dr. Emily Rogalski invites us into the fascinating science of SuperAgers—adults over 80 whose memory performance is comparable to people 20–30 years younger. As leader of the SuperAging Research Initiative at the University of Chicago,

Dr. Rogalski and her team study what allows some people to age remarkably well. She explains emerging findings in accessible language, including intriguing differences between women and men, and explores the protective factors that may contribute to exceptional cognitive health. She also talks about the interplay of genetics, lifestyle, environment, and brain biology—and what SuperAgers may teach us about healthy aging and Alzheimer’s disease.

Connect with Emily

Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

Website SuperAging Research Initiative

THANKS TO OUR PLATINUM SPONSOR, AARP ILLINOIS a nonprofit,

nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to

choose how they live as they age. With nearly 1.7 million members in

Illinois, AARP volunteers advocate for better health, financial security and

stronger communities. Visit AARP.org/IL to learn more.

At 93, Glennette Tilley Turner is still following stories—and still making history visible. For nearly 50 years, Glennette has researched and shared the stories of freedom seekers who traveled the Illinois Underground Railroad, illuminating a largely overlooked chapter of our nation’s history. An innovative educator, author, historian, consultant, speaker, and tour guide, she has brought these stories to audiences of all ages and has earned recognition from universities, historical societies, lawmakers, and artists. But Glennette’s work is about more than the past. By uncovering stories that have too often gone unmentioned in textbooks and classrooms, she invites us to see history—and ourselves—with fresh eyes. Glennette says she is “loving aging,” cherishing connections with old friends while continuing to make new ones. Her latest creative venture? Writing a Kwanzaa skit featuring an imaginary dinner party hosted by Harriet Tubman. Glennette reminds us that courage has no expiration date.

“It’s never too late or you’re never unqualified to be courageous.” - Glennette Turner

Connect with Glennette

Email [email protected]

Biography: glennette Tilley turner biography - Search

Selected Books by Glennette

 A Man Called Horse: John Horse and the Black Seminole Underground Railroad (2021)

 The Gift of Freedom: How Harriet Tubman Rescued Her Brothers. (2026)

 The Underground Railroad in Illinois (2001)

Thanks to Women Over 70s platinum sponsor, AARP Illinois, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 1.7 million members in Illinois, AARP volunteers advocate for better health, financial security, and stronger communities. Visit [email protected] to learn more.

Retirement has afforded Ann Stanford, age 75, “unbelievable luxury—the space and freedom to let things bubble up.” She savors this time to reflect on how she really wants to live and what it means to become fully herself. Always a writer, a former mentor to adult learners, and now a spiritual companion, Ann is committed to “telling my own truths”—and helping others express theirs. Psychoanalysis and contemplative practice have opened the door to “profound spiritual experiences,” helping Ann move beyond a difficult childhood and later struggles with depression and addiction. She is deeply grateful for the “mooring” provided by family and community, as well as for the space that silence and solitude have given her to listen inward. Ann lives by a simple but powerful maxim: “Don’t be afraid of the demons. Trust other people to help you. The answers are in you.”

"If ever I lose my intellectual and physical functioning, I pray I will still have a place inside myself that welcomes me." - Ann Stanford

Connect with Ann: [email protected]

Thanks to our Platinum Sponsor, AARP Illinois, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 1.7 million members in Illinois, AARP volunteers advocate for better health, financial security, and stronger communities.

Visit AARP.org/IL to learn more.

Shining the Light on the Age-Wise Collective: Adriane Berg, host of the podcast, Ageless Traveler—stories from people 50+ who never want to stop traveling. https://agelesstraveler.com/podcasts/

At 89, Cynthia Goren is navigating a profound new chapter. Since the death of her husband last October after 67 years of marriage, she has become more aware of her own mortality—and more determined to live meaningfully. For Cynthia, that means continuing to learn, staying engaged in the things she loves, and, above all, helping others.

“People need favors,” she says. “Physical help, someone to listen to their stories.” Listening and helping have been threads throughout Cynthia’s life.

A lifelong learner and teacher, Cynthia traces her love of learning to her parents. Teaching became a natural extension of her curiosity: she taught English in elementary school and literature at community college, delighting in explaining ideas and sharing what she was discovering. Even today, learning remains an essential part of who she is.

Cynthia’s Jewish faith and traditions have also shaped her sense of responsibility to others. Wanting to pass those traditions on to her children and grandchildren, she wrote Tales from a Jewish Grandmother: A Book of “Bubbe Meises,” using stories, food, Jewish education, family life, and humor to preserve a heritage she treasures.

Now she is turning to another family story: the life of her father, who grew up in a shtetl before coming to the United States at age nine. Using handwritten notes he left behind, Cynthia is transforming his memories into historical fiction—preserving one generation’s story for those who come after.

Her compassion has extended beyond her family. Trained as a para-chaplain, Cynthia met weekly with older adults in a nursing home, using conversations about the Sabbath to create a space where people could talk openly about sadness, loss, and the realities of their lives.

Cynthia’s story reminds us that meaningful living doesn’t require standing still when life changes. It can mean adapting, remaining curious, listening deeply, preserving the stories that matter—and continuing to ask, “How can I help?”

“Helping others is the Jewish way of life.” - Cynthia Goren

Connect with Cynthia:

Book: Tales from a Jewish Grandmother: A Book of “Bubbe Meises

Email: [email protected]

Thanks to our Platinum Sponsor, AARP Illinois, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 1.7 million members in Illinois, AARP volunteers advocate for better health, financial security, and stronger communities.

Visit AARP.org/IL to learn more.

For much of her life, writer Melinda Blau, 82, was curious about older women. Now she is discovering what it means to be one.

Melinda began her career in educational publishing, where writers don’t have to worry about word count. Later, working on her first magazine piece for New York, her editor, T. George Harris challenged her: “You skip through life. Why are you lumbering on paper?” It was one of many lessons in a lifelong writing career—and a reminder that there is always something new to learn.

That same curiosity eventually drew Melinda to nine older women whose friendships profoundly influenced her life. They became the inspiration for “The Wisdom Whisperers.” Henrietta, legally blind and living to 99, into her 100s, became Melinda’s model for courage. Zelda still played tennis at 99 and walked three miles a day into her 100s. Marge, who might have been New York’s oldest Wall Street investor, was still managing her own portfolio at age 104. Melinda affectionately called them “my old ladies.” Each showed her something about resilience, independence, courage, and finding pleasure in the everyday. Their examples stayed with her as she faced her own losses, changes, and “nexts.”

And then came the moment that stopped her: someone said to Melinda, “You are my old lady.” In this conversation, Melinda reflects on what these women taught her, what she is learning now that she is 82, and why aging well may have less to do with grand accomplishments than with drawing on what we already know, remaining curious, taking pride in the little things—and continuing to look for the good.

“There are challenges in aging. Look at what is, use your skills, draw on past experiences for strength—and look for the good.” - Melinda Blau

Connect w Melinda:

Substack: Melinda Blau

Email: [email protected]

Book: The Wisdom Whisperers-Golden Guides to a Long Life of Grit, Grace, and Laughter

Meet Our Platinum Sponsor

AARP Illinois, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 1.7 million members in Illinois, AARP volunteers advocate for better health, financial security, and stronger communities. Visit AARP.org/IL to learn more.

Shining the Light on the Age-Wise Collective:

Adriane Berg, host of the podcast, Ageless Traveler—stories from people 50+ who never want to stop traveling. https://agelesstraveler.com/podcasts/

As the daughter of Holocaust survivors, Paula, 77, understood early what it meant to live with absence. Her parents each lost their entire families eventually meeting after the war and emigrating to the United States with Paula.

Paula read every book she could find about the Holocaust, asking herself: Why do people do this to one another? Her parents' understanding of history, trauma, and survival, as well as a distinct way of seeing the world, helped shape the direction of Paula’s life.

Growing up in a lower-income neighborhood, Paula saw injustice everywhere. She tried to talk with people about her parents’ experiences, but their lack of engagement strengthened her determination to change the way people respond to inhumanity, illness, and suffering.

Married in 1970 and a mother at 21, she and her husband supported each other as they completed their education while raising their son. Paula eventually earned a Master of Social Work degree and worked for 27 years teaching at a community college. Throughout her career, she has worked as a social worker, advocate, and community organizer. She advocated for housing for people with disabilities and her work at a community college allowed her to help people one-on-one—an approach grounded in her belief that empowerment is essential.

Paula has been retired for six years and has not slowed down. She leads hospice and bereavement groups; works with formerly incarcerated people and individuals in prison, ia a Reiki practitioner, and after retiring became a massage therapist to serve underserved communities.

And now an author! One day, while riding the train, Paula imagined a woman who seemed to embody everything she had experienced and witnessed. That woman became the central character in her novel, Among Us. With the support of writing groups, Paula developed the character’s story and brought the book to life.

When asked how she feels about aging, Paula says, “I feel like I am all ages.”

"If I can understand the human condition, surely there is a solution." - Paula Nesoff

Connect with Paula:

Email: [email protected]

Book: Among Us

AARP Logo

Thanks to our Platinum Sponsor, AARP Illinois, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 1.7 million members in Illinois, AARP volunteers advocate for better health, financial security, and stronger communities. Visit AARP.org/IL to learn more.

At 71, Terry Craig reflects on a life shaped by creativity, curiosity, movement, and reinvention.

Growing up as the second of six siblings, Terry learned early how to resolve conflicts and bring people together. Her mother sewed clothing for the family, and Terry soon discovered her own love of sewing and creating patterns. Over the years, she expanded into quilting and fiber art, including painting with wool and learning wet felting. Always eager to try something new, Terry embraces projects that keep her engaged and inspired.

After studying interior design at the Art Institute, Terry realized she wanted a career centered on people and moved into human resources, and later into sales, after relocating to Florida. Upon returning to Chicago, she again worked in HR. Wherever Terry lives, she brings her sewing machine and seeks out community. Local community centers offer groups and classes where she can play Scrabble and connect with fellow stitchers.

Physical movement has always been important. Terry began cycling after high school and met her future husband through the sport. Together, they explore multi-day rides, and they are now preparing for a five-week, self-guided e-bike tour along the canals of Paris, ending with a week on the Riviera. Today, she and her husband split their time between Chicago and Scottsdale, AZ where she teaches sewing to a group of 167 people. The group also completes charitable projects, including Easter baskets, pillowcases, and activity totes for children.

Terry stays active through hiking, pickleball, cycling, and walking—10,000 steps barely faze her. She believes age is a state of mind and encourages others to overcome fear by starting small and celebrating tiny successes.

For Terry Craig, reinvention is a lifelong way of living.

“Age is a state of mind and you can overcome fear by starting small and celebrating tiny successes.” - Terry Craig

CONNECT WITH TERRY:

Email: [email protected]

AARP Logo

Thanks to our Platinum Sponsor, AARP Illinois, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 1.7 million members in Illinois, AARP volunteers advocate for better health, financial security, and stronger communities. Visit AARP.org/IL to learn more.

Recently, at 95, Ruby Hill spends time reflecting on her life. Two principles stand out: “I cared deeply about the needs of others, and the results were better than I could have imagined.” She also believes that much of her life was shaped by others, beginning with her father’s decision that pharmacy should be her career. Ruby married the young man who sat behind her in Dr. Paytash’s Chemistry 101 class, when classroom seats were assigned and attendance was taken by name. A year after earning her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and passing the State Board exam, they married. By the end of that decade, they were raising three thriving children. Decades later, inspired by the values of a small Unitarian Universalist congregation, Ruby responded to George Floyd’s murder by helping launch a STEM initiative for Black girls that combines science, technology, engineering, and mathematics with self-care, leadership, and community care.

"Beginning with love for ourselves and each other, we can keep learning, know that we all belong, and create hope for future generations." - Ruby Hill

Connect with Ruby

Email: [email protected]

Thanks to our Platinum Sponsor AARP Illinois, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 1.7 million members in Illinois, AARP volunteers advocate for better health, financial security, and stronger communities. Visit AARP.org/IL to learn more.

Drawing on decades of experience in psychiatric mental health and a wide range of health care settings, Maureen Rafa now runs her own business as an elder care coordinator. She also actively volunteers to improve coordinated care, build livable communities, and promote thoughtful end-of-life planning. In this conversation, she challenges common misconception about aging—from the fear of dementia to the expectation of simply “dying in one’s sleep”—and urges older adults, especially women, to recognize and confront the “rampant ageism” embedded in our society. Maureen encourages women to become informed self-advocates and models that philosophy in her own life. At 72, she has downsized to an independent-living community, planned financially for future care, and remains intentional about avoiding isolation.

“Always keep your female friends.” - Maureen Rafa

Connect with Maureen

Email: [email protected]

Maureen Rafa | LinkedIn

Women Over 70 Welcomes our Platinum Sponsor

AARP Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they wish to live as they age. With nearly 1.7 million members in Illinois, AARP volunteers advocate for better health, financial security, and stronger communities.

Visit AARP.org/IL to learn more.