SAIL - Supporting Active Independent Lives is a vibrant non-profit membership organization of people 55+ who reside in the lovely Madison area. SAIL members wish to remain active, independent, in their own homes, and socially connected, and have found that navigating the many changes brought on by age is much easier with the resources offered by SAIL.

Membership includes referrals to prescreened vendors, daily automated check-in service, house checks, wellness services, social events and clubs, member-helping-member volunteer opportunities, discounts to MSCR and SAIL S.O.S., and even quarterly mattress flipping. All of this is included with a $330 per year membership! SAIL now offers an even more affordable Associate Membership. Join SAIL - a great way to meet new friends and remain in good health. Personalized service connecting you with the very best in our community!

"The handyman you referred to us shaved off the bottom of two French doors so they would open easily over a new rug, repaired a two way light switch, and created a beautiful handrail for our stairway. He was good about keeping appointments, always calling ahead of time. His charges were very reasonable. What a joy to find him. Thanks to you and SAIL." Marge E.

"Access to pre-screened, affordable vendors for home repairs and other services is alone worth the monthly fee." Betty S.

"We are so pleased with your services. A vendor we used recently did an exemplary job. He actually feels like part of the family!" Bob H.

"SAIL is my security blanket. My kids live out of town and it's so comforting for them and me to know SAIL is here for me. The daily check-in is especially important to me since I live alone." Faith M.

"Alan (SAIL's personal health coach/pharmacist) saved my life! Thanks to him I found out my potassium level had dropped to a dangerous level and was able to get needed medical attention." Donna S.

Consider supporting SAIL's work in helping people meet the challenges and joys of aging while remaining in their own homes. Friends of SAIL helps fund programs like SAIL S.O.S. personal emergency pendants for seniors with low income, SAIL memberships for people with low income and community-based falls prevention workshops. All contributions to SAIL are tax deductible as we are a program of a 501 c 3 charitable organization. Becoming a Friend of SAIL!

Jerry Apps: Don’t Wait to Tell Your Story
By Steve Busalacchi

If anybody practices what he preaches, it’s writer Jerry Apps. The author of more than 25 books about rural life in Wisconsin, he regaled a packed SAIL luncheon at Blackhawk Country Club January 19 with tale after tale about his love for documenting the stories of his life. And equally important, he urged SAIL members to do the same.

"Don't let somebody else tell your story," he admonished. Apps says nobody knows your own story better than you do and it's important to document those experiences for future generations.

It can be as simple as recalling what your favorite toy was as a child and why. He says that's a fantastic conversation to have with multiple generations because it's such a universal childhood experience.

For his own part, Apps remembers fondly what it was like not to have electricity on the farm. He and his father had routinely taken a lantern each and went about the task of hand milking every cow. But after the farm got wired for electricity, he recalls the immediate, almost magical illumination that followed, with a simple flip of a switch! He says every animal in that barn, including the cows, were as startled as he was after first experiencing it.

The Apps discussion stimulated at least one SAIL member to recall his own early years on the farm. Eighty-eight year old Earl Thayer remembers the days of dentistry before electric drills. Earl says the drills were slow and painful because they were foot-pumped. His 48-year-old friend had never heard of such a thing, even though his own father lived to be Earl's age.

Tell those stories!

SAIL's Personal Memoirs Project (PMP) group has created a packet called Everyone Has a Personal Story. This 8-page packet contains information on getting started recording your own memoirs and includes interviewing hints, sample questions, a listing of various community resources and web sites, plus a bibliography. Packet materials incorporate lessons learned from actual interviewing by the PMP group members.

Steve Busalacchi is a long-time supporter of SAIL and is married to the granddaughter of SAIL member Marian Edsall. In addition to his public relations business, he is the author of White Coat Wisdom.

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Member finds SAIL service "fabulous, wonderful"!

Are you taking advantage of the many important services SAIL has to offer? Just take a minute to listen to one satisfied member who is making the most out of her membership, and get some ideas about how SAIL can help make your life a bit easier. Click here for the one-minute Mp3 audio file.