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Life Purpose Wellness Challenge

1 min read

Every year, NISC's annual Programs of Excellence Awards honor and promote the outstanding programs offered by senior centers across the country.

NISC Programs of Excellence 

  • Year Awarded: 2023
  • Programs of Excellence Name: Life Purpose Wellness Challenge
  • Hosting Organization: Progress Village Senior Center, Hillsborough County Aging Services, Tampa, Florida
  • Progress Village Population: 10,129
  • 60+ Population: 1,449
  • Senior Center Members: 85

About Life Purpose Wellness Challenge

With a program motto of "Not Just Talk About it, Be About It," the Life Purpose Wellness Challenge was a three-month discussion on "Life Purpose." The program consisted of two phases.

Phase one had each participant to undergo a self-assessment during weekly sessions of group discussions with different topics led by the center staff. Phase two was about the participants sharing their stories of what they discovered in this self-assessment journey, and sharing their stories of how they are now active in that purpose.

Some of the discussion topics:

  1. Do you know what your life purpose is?
  2. Finding your spiritual purpose—Where do I fit in?
  3. Reconnect with activities and interests that have always brought joy.
  4. Volunteer.
  5. Try something new.
  6. Reflect on life goals.
  7. Connect with others.
  8. Identify your passions.
  9. Reconnect with yourself through self-care.
  10. Invest time into hobbies and interests.
  11. Get creative.
  12. Give back to others.
  13. Consider your legacy and end of life planning

This wellness challenge was creative and innovative because typically wellness challenges focus or are related to physical health. Other challenges may focus on the cognitive or intellectual, and the senior center has previously focused on financial wellness, but creating one on the spiritual dimension of wellness was different. This is a creative and innovative way to have participants challenge themselves with such a profound topic such as life purpose.

Key takeaways from Life Purpose Wellness Challenge:

  • Participants benefitted by actually improving the quality of their lives by taking action as a result of the life purpose discussions.
  • As a result of some participants discovering their purpose to serve or reconnect in the community, the organization benefited by receiving new members that joined after hearing about the senior center.
  • The program truly focused on how to improve overall quality of life, and it allowed participants to not only focus on their spiritual wellness but spilled into other dimensions as well.

About the Progress Village Senior Center

The Progress Village Senior Center offesr a variety of activities and events for active adults age 50 and older. Participants must be residents of Hillsborough County and at least 60 years old to qualify for the noontime meal program

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