Elder Chicks Now Have Their Own Blog; Seeking Female
Readers Over Seventy
These "elder chicks," feel they still have lots to
give - and take - from the world
April 14, 2010 - Blogs are everywhere and for just
about anybody... even women over 70 years of age. Two very enterprising
senior women, Drs. Barbara Fleisher and Thelma Reese, have started a
blog for women in their senior years -
www.ElderChicks.com.
Their blog is a place for women in the newest phase
of their long lives to learn from each other, laugh with each other,
enjoy each other's journey and make this time productive, according to
their news release.
These "elder chicks," feel they still have lots to
give - and take - from the world. They say they want to start a
conversation amongst their peers and, in doing so, create a supportive
community, while they serve as role models for women living longer and
more actively than their parents and grandparents would have dreamed of.
According to the U.S. census bureau, there are over
36 million senior citizens over age sixty-five living in the United
States. In 2005 the Harris Poll reported that more than 13 million of
those seniors actively use the Internet. Among these seniors are women
who are active and fully engaged, says the news release from
ElderChicks.com.
When asked why she started ElderChicks.com, Dr.
Fleisher said, "I'm so busy all the time, traveling, volunteering and
learning new skills. I wondered what other women my age were doing and
thought a blog would be a perfect way to reach out and share stories and
ideas for keeping life interesting."
Dr. Thelma Reese added, "I am always inspired by
the level of activity and engagement of my friends. I wanted a place to
exchange our experiences so that we might develop a virtual community of
women living full lives and adapting to rapid changes in the world well
past the time our parents would have imagined."
About the Elder Chicks
Dr. Thelma Reese
I
was born in 1933 – making me what was known in my parents’ era – a
Depression Baby. Although I still live in Philadelphia, where I was
born, I have traveled the world extensively for pleasure and for work.
My husband and I now spend part of each year in California’s Bay Area,
where our daughters and twin grandchildren live.
As
with so many women, most of my professional life just seemed to happen
unplanned: teaching, because it fitted in with children’s schedules,
led to graduate school to improve teaching skills, which led to a
doctorate, which led to being an educational psychologist and professor,
which led to directing the Mayor’s Commission on Literacy in
Philadelphia, which led to consulting for Hooked on Phonics and
educational products and publishing companies.
Personal passions were expressed in leading the
board of Children’s Literacy Initiative and Philadelphia Young
Playwrights, which I helped to found, and chairing a Youth Aid Panel of
the District Attorney’s Office at a police station every two weeks.
Dr. Barbara Fleisher
I’m
Bobby Fleisher, (aka Barbara M. Fleisher BA, MA, and much later, EdD).
I’ve worn many hats in my life: public school teacher, learning
disabilities/reading specialist, child advocate, college professor in
San Francisco, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia, and most importantly, wife,
mother, and grandmother.
Because
my physician husband Dan Fleisher’s work took the family to Europe and
the Far East, our three children, Wendy, Jane, and Peter grew up
believing that the whole world was their playground. My children now
live in England, California, and Massachusetts.
My seven grandchildren
are grown now, and span the globe from China, through the US, and
England. Despite the distances and the recent death of my husband, the
family has remained close and hasn’t missed an annual reunion in
twenty-five years.
Juggling family and career was no walk in the park
for any of us women in my generation. My career was really an
afterthought –something I could attend to as long as the cooking and
chauffeuring were done. I’ve now retired from that professional part of
my life but I’m still finding new hats to try on. Stay tuned.
About ElderChicks.com
Launched in March 2010, this blog for women in
their senior years is an online destination to read and talk about later
life joy, pain, triumph, and adversity. These women will identify with
the many experiences shared on the site. They are encouraged to share
stories of their own and invited to read what contributing experts have
to say. Their daughters and granddaughters will be grateful for their
example.
April 14, 2010 - Blogs are everywhere and for just
about anybody... even women over 70 years of age. Two very enterprising
senior women, Drs. Barbara Fleisher and Thelma Reese, have started a
blog for women in their senior years -
I
was born in 1933 – making me what was known in my parents’ era – a
Depression Baby. Although I still live in Philadelphia, where I was
born, I have traveled the world extensively for pleasure and for work.
My husband and I now spend part of each year in California’s Bay Area,
where our daughters and twin grandchildren live. 
As
with so many women, most of my professional life just seemed to happen
unplanned: teaching, because it fitted in with children’s schedules,
led to graduate school to improve teaching skills, which led to a
doctorate, which led to being an educational psychologist and professor,
which led to directing the Mayor’s Commission on Literacy in
Philadelphia, which led to consulting for Hooked on Phonics and
educational products and publishing companies. 
I’m
Bobby Fleisher, (aka Barbara M. Fleisher BA, MA, and much later, EdD).
I’ve worn many hats in my life: public school teacher, learning
disabilities/reading specialist, child advocate, college professor in
San Francisco, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia, and most importantly, wife,
mother, and grandmother. 
Because
my physician husband Dan Fleisher’s work took the family to Europe and
the Far East, our three children, Wendy, Jane, and Peter grew up
believing that the whole world was their playground. My children now
live in England, California, and Massachusetts. 