The 15th annual Lincoln County TRIAD Senior Appreciation Day was a success. There were a few rough edges to the day but even those became good things. Chief Ron Young of the Damariscotta Police Department and Chief Deputy Major Ken Mason of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office both had the attitude of “We can solve or work around all problems. We’ll just take them one at a time.” Now that attitude and work ethic makes for a good role model for not only seniors but for all residents of the area.

There were presentations by AARP regarding fraud against seniors and by Chief Ron Young about senior driving and when to give up your driver license. However, the highlight of all presentations was the presentation of the Volunteer of the Year award to Nora and Paul Cyr. Nora and Paul have been involved with all previous Senior Appreciation Days and were involved in the formation of the Lincoln County TRIAD many years ago. They have also been involved with AARP programs and Paul has taught senior driving classes for many years. Their efforts in these and other senior activities have been greatly appreciated by many people.

Several people during the day asked what TRIAD stands for. The word triad means a group of three. The National Triad organization was formed in 1988 by the three groups; AARP, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Sheriffs’ Association. Now local TRIADs are made up of three groups; law enforcement agencies, organizations dedicated to helping seniors and interested area seniors. A major purpose of a local TRIAD is to develop, expand and implement effective crime prevention and education programs for older residents of the greater community.

What will be the future be for the Senior Appreciation Day and other Lincoln County TRIAD activities? Hopefully it will be even better. The Lincoln County TRIAD plans to involve vendors to a greater extent in TRIAD activities, add more volunteers including individuals and organizations who can work throughout the year and to expand publicity.