The purpose of Age Friendly Colorado Springs (AFCS) is to serve as a catalyst to educate, inspire, and promote improvements that Colorado Springs and El Paso County can implement to make our community known as a remarkable place in which to age. In March of 2016, Innovations in Aging Collaborative (IIAC) brought Colorado Springs into the Network of Age-Friendly Communities. IIAC was appointed by Mayor John Suthers of Colorado Springs to administer the Age Friendly Colorado Springs project, which is a one-of-a-kind appointment throughout the Network of Age Friendly Cities. Through extensive community input, IIAC put together the Age Friendly Colorado Springs action plan which contains over 150 action items organized into eight domains:

• Housing
• Transportation
• Outdoor Spaces or Buildings
• Community Support and Health Services
• Communication and Information
• Civic Participation and Employment
• Respect and Social Inclusion
• Social Participation.

Each of these action items is meant to make Colorado Springs a safe, inclusive place to live, work, play, and age. This action plan is now the guiding document for all projects undertaken by IIAC, the organization responsible for reporting back to AARP on these action items in 2020.

Colorado Springs is a unique and dynamic community, and it is important to all residents of the city that older adults are able to maintain their place in that community and participate in the aspects of Colorado Springs which already make it a remarkable place to live. Our city is defined by the astounding physical world that surrounds us, a strong spirit of nonprofit innovation, and the hardworking character of our residents. The mission of Age Friendly Colorado Springs is to ensure that older adults have the supportive and logistical services they need in order to stay in their community, both physically by remaining in their own homes and neighborhoods, and culturally by retaining transportation options and access to amazing outdoor recreation, and an inclusive array of volunteer and employment opportunities.