AprIl 3-9, 1 Advocate for the elderly is repayi 9 deb By KrIstin Hay SOlTIll HAYEN - "I owe my life to the elderly, says 84-year­ old Josephine Morgan of Covert. "They &aYe me ck my 1!� " we. For the 15 years, Morgan has been repaying that debt. She's an dvocate for the e der­ ly," aid Jame Thompson, director of Title V d Senior Emp oyment t the Area Agen­ cy on Aging. She m es an im­ p ct herever he goe ., he dded Morgan is an older worker pecialist at the South Haven, Michigan Employment Security . Commission office. She's reaDy concerned about the elderly," id 65-year-old Olivia Jones of Bangor. "If you want to' k, e'll really help you.. J ODeS is one of the hundreds of people whom Morgan has placed in Jobs in the ten years. Morgan identifie with the people she assists. "I was help­ less once myself," she said At ase 66, Morgan was injured in a serious car accident. "They sent me home to die," she said. For three years, she was confined to a wheelchair, slipping deeper into despair everyday. "One day I just made up my mind that I wasn't going to stay in that chair and I got up. Once I started moving, I didn't stop." When she looked around her community, he noticed that some of her elderly neighbors couldn't clean their yards or their homes. She persuaded Covert Township Supervisor JerrySarno to hire agile young worker to help the elderly wash windows and rank leave . Sarno hired Morgan to supervise the workers. She showed real inter­ e t in the 'community, said Sarno. "She's very energetic and has done a lot for Covert citizens and other people in the county." Her second project ws estab­ lishing the first nutrition site in' Van Buren County at the Covert Civic Center with the help of the Area Agency on Aging. Helping to obtain bus service for Van Buren County senior citizens was her greatest achievement, Morgan said. She happened to attend a meeting in SECO D BAPTIST' CHURPH 600L c 191 to 9:25 Sunday School 10:4.5 •. m. . . .. omin& WotSbip 7-8 p.m. Wed .... Ptll)'Cr Mcc e: Developing YOW'SpiribuIJ GifU (/ CoT. 12:1-31) district. I "Everybody in Be ton Har­ bor knew me as the nightclub minister," she said. Morgan es­ tablished her church in a night club that she rented for S6 a Sun­ day. "Saturday night they'd . dance and drink and throw dice, and Sunday we'd hold church," said Morgan. "I put drapes over the bar and made a pulpit out of the bandstand." She remembers those days fondly. "Those were some of the happiest days of my life," she said. But she h d to crifice lot for er m.in.istry_. Her h d gav her an ul­ timatum, him or her ministry. She chose ber church. "Today it's worth it,· she said. "My work in Benton Harbor helped me get where I am today." She has traveled to Washington any times to dis­ cuss issues . legislato that affect the elderly. In 1984, she received a citation from the Michigan Commission on Ser­ vice to the Aging for her work with the MESC. In 1986, she was honored by the Concerned Blac Women and the South Haven BI ck Leadership Society. Her years of volunteer work _:....::.:;�:.::.....:.:.�====�=!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:::=��:=;�==���������; 'taught her where to go to get help for people. But Morgan says her job at MESC has been educational. "It opened the doo forme to learn everything I know," she id, Morgan ys the elderly need good ousing and to be with younger people. "Putting old folks together in one place isn't good," she said. "We need to put the old and young together so they can help each other." Still on the move, Morgan walks with a cane now and wheels around conventions in her wheelchair. "I didn't know I was old until thi year when I couldn't see," she said. Cataracts in both eyes threatened her sight. She recently rebounded from eye surgery and is hac at her desk. She was the nin h of 12 children and grew up in Mobile, AJabama. "My famiJywas poor," she said. "I tell children I could have been anything but what I am. At 16, she married and mover. to Chicago to fmd work. "I could have gone to Chicago and gotten lost," she aid. In­ stead, she went to chool and learned dress designing and later worked for the U.S. Postal.. ervice. Heeding her mother' advice aved- her, she said. "Mother told me always ork for what you want." My commitment to God is to help people," said Morgan. "It's music to my ear ev ry time someone calls to say they got that job. I wouldn't change any­ thing," he aid. "I've h d a beautiful life." I .Insing where lal make were discussing transpOrtation. Mor­ gan asked why her county didn't have buses. She· told no one had asked for them. "Well, "I'm . ng," she said. The county received a $20,000 grant and two buses which has grown to a fleet of seven. In 1981 Morgan as . ap­ pointed as an advisor to the White House Conference 0 Aging. She said her second most important ccomplishment was organjzing Senior Activities Inc. in Covert, group of older workers who- made and sold crafts. "The idea to help senior citizens help themselves," she said. Por many years, Morgan worke