Periodically the Communities for a Lifetime initiative uses this space to highlight one of the more than 100 communities across Florida that are planning aging-in-place initiatives.

Town of Jay

Established in 1920, the Town of Jay sits nestled in northwest Florida, in Santa Rosa County near the Alabama line. Jay is an active participant in Communities for a Lifetime, with much of the activity centered on the 93 volunteers of the Jay Outreach Walking Ministry, associated with the town’s First Baptist Church. Working together, this community has accomplished the following:

• In-Home Safety Project:  Provided assistance for home-bound elderly and disabled residents, through fire inspections and installation of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and lightweight fire extinguishers.
• Container Garden Project: As a means to relieve stress and offset the cost of fresh fruit and vegetables for home-bound elderly and disabled residents, volunteers modified and installed planters and boxes for container gardens.
• Awareness/Resource Brochures: Brochures containing information and resources were designed and printed, providing community elders and others with a resource directory that targets the type of services and agencies they need. 
• Minor Home Repairs: Volunteers performed small home repair projects that greatly improved the condition of multiple homes for elders in need.
• Wheelchair Ramps: Wheelchair ramps were built for two seniors at no cost to them.
• Manna Food Bank: Through a partnership with Jay First Baptist Church, the food bank has distributed approximately 1,400 pounds of food each month.

Other partners in this effort include the City of Jay Advisory Council and volunteers from Acreage & Homes Realty and the Ministerial Association.  Jay Hospital and the Northwest Florida Rural Health Network also provided referrals and volunteers. For additional information on the Town of Jay’s Communities for a Lifetime initiative, contact William Rushing, Senior Pastor at Jay First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 59, Jay, FL 32565, or via email at will@JayFBC.org