The United Seniors of Oakland and Alameda County, also known as the USOAC, is hosting the 20th Annual Healthy Living Festival this month at the Oakland Zoo.
The festival, which also marks the 20th anniversary of the Oakland-based senior organization, will take place Sept. 28 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature free food, music and a range of outdoor activities to promote health and wellness for mature adults, it said in a news release.
Upwards of 3,000 senior citizens are expected to attend this year’s event at the Oakland Zoo, according to Alameda County Board of Supervisors President Nate Miley, who also serves as president of the USOAC.
“The organization’s mission is our North Star. It states, ‘To provide institutional support for seniors … to enable the elderly to address their critical issues and to change the conditions that impact their lives,’” Miley said in a statement.
Through a slate of yearlong events along with the annual outdoor festival, USOAC seeks to raise awareness of older adult issues, hold public officials accountable, increase senior involvement, champion successful aging, and promote active civic engagement and senior advocacy, the organization said.
According to U.S. Census data from 2022, of the 1.6 million people in Alameda County, some 15.7 percent or more than 255,000 are aged 65 and above. USAOC meanwhile estimates that around half a million Alameda County residents are mature adults between the ages 55 to 85.
By hosting the annual Healthy Living Festival, the organization said it hopes to “make a positive impact” on the incidence of nationally leading chronic diseases such as dementia, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, arthritis, cancer and hypertension among mature adults in the county.
Since 1986, the USOAC has sought to improve the quality of life for mature adults throughout Alameda County through senior empowerment, advocacy and community outreach. The organization said it has an approximate membership of 13,000.