If you’re a senior and live in the community, you should know about the Center for Healthy Aging (CHA), an organization dedicated to addressing the specific needs of an aging population.

At its annual gala, held this year at the Skirball Cultural Center, guests were delighted to be greeted by the smiling face of the one and only Jerry Mathers of Leave It to Beaver fame.  He presented the Golden Glow Award – awarded to a celebrity or high profile person who gives of his or her time and talent to charitable organizations – to Barbara Eden from I Dream of Jeannie.

Other honorees included Jean McNeil Wyner, lauded for her work on behalf of many social service agencies, including her role as physician and community liaison for Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center, and the law firm of Harding Larmore Mullen Jakle Kutcher & Kozal, LLP.  The firm was cited for providing services to a broad spectrum of civic and social service organizations.

Santa Monica was well represented by civic leaders, including former mayor Nat Trives (also known as “Mr. Santa Monica”), California State Assemblymember Julia Brownley, Mayor Richard Bloom and former mayor Robert Holbrook. 

A fixture in Santa Monica since 1974, CHA provides a myriad of services from psychotherapy, peer counseling, group therapy and support groups to door-to-door transportation, money management, home visits for the homebound, breast and cervical cancer screening and a volunteer and intern training program.

The theme of the evening was “The Time of Your Life.” Couple that with their philosophy that says, “It’s not about staying young, it’s about aging well,” and you get an understanding of how their services support that goal.