Community Events

UMGS attracts the most passionate students from diverse fields. It is this passion that has planted UMGS' roots in the Missoula community. Our generous network of students have put in countless hours of community service to advance the livelihood and wellbeing of local seniors. Community events vary from fundraising for aging World War II veterans who recieve private flights to the Washington D.C. Memorials, to touring Fort Missoula with seniors from local assisted living homes.  

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
-Winston Churchill

The Annual Photos with Santa Fundraiser is hosted and organized by UMGS members to give honor and recognition to aging war veterans. All proceeds from this festive event benefit the Honor Flight Network, a national nonprofit organization that works to provide war veterans with the recognition and closure that they deserve by transporting them to the Washington D.C. memorials. To date, UMGS has raised upwards of $1500 for the Honor Flight Network.

“We can’t all be heroes. Some of us have to stand on the curb and clap as they walk by.”
– Will Rogers

For its second consecutive year, the Elder Giving Tree has been a great success. This charitable event is organized by UMGS members, and has generously been adopted and supported by members of the Missoula community. The Elder Giving Tree aims to provide meaningful holiday memories by providing local seniors with gifts and essentials that they have requested.

The UM Gerontology Society is modeled off of the Montana Gerontology Society, an interdiscplinary group of professionals, volunteers, and educators who work to provide educational opportunities to individuals interested in gerontology. To achieve this, the Montana Gerontology Society organizes an annual conference where providers of services, seniors, volunteers, researchers, educators, students, and others associated with aging may assmble to enhance their understanding of gerontology and apply it to their respective professional fields. Members of UMGS and students across the state are encouraged to participate in the Annual MGS Conference, where they may present their relevant findings or research in gerontology. The Montana Gerontology Society offers a $1,000 scholarship to Montana students interested in pursuing an age-related career.

As part of an initiative to increase awareness and visibility to the wide-ranging career opportunities within the field of aging and aging research to university students, the Gerontoligical Society of America along with the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education award a limited number of grants to invididuals proposing to host a relevant event that promotes careers in aging. For the second consecutative year, UMGS members have applied for an award and plan to host and organize a community-centered event which will feature a discussion panel of community members who provide services in age-related careers, as well as a public screening of the award-winning film "Alive Inside."