It’s a muggy June day in Atlanta, but at Toco Hills Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC), the room is alive with chatter as friends gather around dining tables for Marvelous Monday. The monthly kosher lunch and entertainment program is one of the most popular social events at Toco Hills NORC, engaging seniors from their late 60’s up into their late 90’s who still live in their own homes.

NORC has been a Federation partner program since 2003. It is central to Federation’s goal to support the healthy aging of older adults in neighborhoods that already have a larger than average population of seniors. In the Intown Atlanta neighborhood of Toco Hills, NORC provides outings, activities, socialization opportunities and other services that allow older adults to remain in their own homes - right where they tell us they want to be! Funding for NORC was actually increased this year to expand the oversight of the NORC Project Manager who oversees three different sites.

Marianne, a NORC member for just one year, enjoys Marvelous Mondays. “I live about a mile away from here. I raised three children in this neighborhood and have four grandchildren and a great-grandchild,” she says. “I need to keep busy and I’m a people person, so that’s why I come to the NORC. I enjoy the trips and the company of others like me.“

Kortni Taulbee, the NORC Program Coordinator is pleased that Toco Hills NORC is growing. “Our membership is up 20% this year, and among our 89 seniors, 80% are Jewish,” she reports. “We have a strong family feeling here. Our members are devoted to each other in countless ways. The social activities and the caring resources we provide are keeping members mentally and physically healthy.”

Toco Hills is one of three NORC sites in Metro Atlanta. Click here for information, or email Janie Walker at jwalker@jewishatlanta.org.