WHEREAS, Senior Games are an integral part of communities throughout Maine and the United States that offer Olympic-style multi-sport competitions for adults aged 45 and up and engage over 100,000 people nationally each year; and

WHEREAS, the Maine Senior Games were first established in 1986, and today, the organization offers 20 competitive sports to both men and women with events throughout the state; and

WHEREAS, only 19 percent of Maine adults aged 65 and older have been shown to meet federal guidelines for physical activity; and

WHEREAS, Senior Games help encourage active lifestyles by offering the camaraderie and challenge of competitive sports while promoting health, well-being and active aging among participants; and

WHEREAS, Senior Games foster community and friendships that help reduce social isolation among older adults while also tackling ageism by celebrating possibilities for community members ages 45 and up; and

WHEREAS, Senior Games create meaningful intergenerational connections between senior athletes, their family members, volunteers and spectators creating positive economic impact and social impact in Maine through volunteerism and community outreach;

NOW THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Janet T. Mills, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby proclaim the week of March 18-24, 2024 as

Senior Games Week

in Maine, and I urge all citizens to recognize the benefits Senior Games provide to participants, volunteers and communities across our state.

In testimony whereof, I have caused the Great Seal of the State to be hereunto affixed GIVEN under my hand at Augusta this sixth day of March Two Thousand Twenty-Four