29 October 1 November 2009
For the most part Annual General Meetings are pretty dry and routine affairs. Thats not our approach and doesnt reflect our New Vision of Aging. Thats why we combine the AGM with the CARP conference and the Zoomer Show. Its our one opportunity each year to bring our Chapter Chairs, Reps and Advisory Board members together with staff to experiences and re-charge our common mission to advance and protect the interests of Canadians as we age. There are three components to the gathering;The CARP Conference, the AGM and the Zoomer Show. Here is a brief re-cap of each of them.
This year we held CARPs 2nd annual CARP Conference on Healthy Aging and Longevity, in the Grand Banking Hall of the Suites of 1 King West in Toronto.
Presented by Moses Znaimer, in the style of ideaCity, the day overflowed with the insights, passion and talent of 22 remarkable presenters. From the opening musical notes by a 9 year old cello prodigy, the presenters continued to inspire and intrigue the audience of 250 throughout the day. Sectioned into four sessions;New Vision of Aging, Extraordinary Lives, Self-Deliverance and Healthy Living, presentations ranged from genetic and anti-aging research; the exceptional lives and accomplishments of centenarians; courageous and compassionate stories about choosing the timing and manner of ones dying process; research into smell and taste loss; awareness of the growing number of viruses and microbes threatening our health; to the therapeutic value of laughter in life. For a full run-down on presenters, please visit www.carpconference.ca.
It was an invigorating day that Im sure not only raised the level of awareness about what is going on in the world of science and medicine relating to healthy aging, but also stimulated new appreciation of the possibilities and potential for personal longevity.
The CARP AGM and Working Sessions
There are basic administrative requirements to the AGM;election of Directors, Financial report and other administrative duties;but those things dont really give our members a true sense of what has been accomplished in the year, so we kicked off the AGM with two videos. The first was an energetic video in which Moses articulates his new vision for CARP and his coining of the term Zoomers. It also captured his meetings with Chapters and members during the coast-to-coast national tour of 14 cities from Victoria to St. Johns over the past year. That was followed by a video that recognized CARPs 25th Anniversary with commentary from CARP founders, Lillian and Murray Morganthau, and brief overviews from CARPs management team on the accomplishments of the past year.
Following the video presentations, Moses and the CARP management team fielded questions from the floor.
Dr. Ron Keast, Chair of CARPs Advisory Board provided a brief report from the Advisory Board, that included the Advisory Boards endorsement of the applications to the CRTC for ZoomerMedias acquisition of Vision TV, ONE:The Body, Mind, Spirit Channel and the local Joy TV stations in Vancouver and Winnipeg. Dr. Keast also announced the winners of CARPs 25th Anniversary Top 25 Canadians Award. A list of the winners will be posted on CARPs website.
