Givens Highland Farms in Black Mountain, along with other Givens Communities campuses in Buncombe County, continues to strengthen partnerships and develop collaborations that help ensure older adults can remain safe, healthy and engaged. Through thought leadership, cooperation and shared commitment, local organizations are working together to improve services, expand resources and support aging.
Age-Friendly Buncombe County and the Buncombe Aging Services Alliance have now combined their meetings into one quarterly gathering focused on education, advocacy and networking for organizations and community members serving older adults. The newly combined meetings will be known as the Age-Friendly Buncombe County meetings and will be held in person at Land of Sky Regional Council.
The change reflects the shared purpose of both groups and is intended to streamline collaboration among local partners working to support older adults throughout Buncombe County. The upcoming meeting schedule includes gatherings on Oct. 2, 2026; Jan. 8, 2027; and April 2, 2027. Each meeting will take place in the large conference room at Land of Sky Regional Council.
Joey Abel, Director of Community Impact with Givens Communities, addressed the inaugural Age-Friendly Buncombe County meeting. Abel has chaired the Buncombe Aging Services Alliance in recent years and has worked closely with Age-Friendly Buncombe County on shared goals related to aging services and community impact.
“Age-Friendly Buncombe is a wonderful partner that aligns with our goals, mission and values,” Abel said. “I’ll continue to help support the Age-Friendly meetings and the Age-Friendly Action Plan.”
The inaugural meeting featured Michael Cline, State Demographer with the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management, as a special guest speaker. Cline produces official population estimates for municipalities and counties across North Carolina and prepares long-term projections to help communities plan for transportation, education, health care, aging services and other future needs.
Additional presenters included LeeAnne Tucker, Area Agency on Aging Director at Land of Sky Regional Council; Casey Miller, Executive Director of the Council on Aging of Buncombe County; and Magda Mendoza, Program Manager for the Benefits Enrollment Center and Homebound Food Delivery at the Council on Aging of Buncombe County.