Upper Cumberland SHIP to Host FREE Welcome to Medicare Classes in Cumberland County Are you eligible for Medicare and curious about your plan options? Upper Cumberland SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) is conducting a series of FREE Welcome to Medicare! Classes across the Upper Cumberland. In Cumberland County, classes will take place at the Art Circle Public Library from 9 a.m. until noon on the following dates:

• Feb. 17
• Apr. 11
• June 25
• Aug. 13
• Oct. 1

Each class will consist of training on Parts A, B, C & D, as well as Medigap policies and ways to prevent Medicare fraud. SHIP is a federally funded program administered through the Area Agency on Aging & Disability (AAAD). Please call SHIP at 931-432-4150, visit the Upper Cumberland SHIP Facebook Page at facebook.com/UCSHIP, or email [email protected] to register or learn more. SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) and SMP (Senior Medicare Patrol) are administered locally by the Upper Cumberland Development District and cover all 14 Upper Cumberland counties. SHIP/SMP representatives provide free and unbiased Medicare counseling for any questions, abuse, or concerns; they will also screen Medicare benefi ciaries for Low-Income Assistance Programs. Got Medicare? Got Questions? Call SHIP at 1-877-801-0044 or 931-432-4150. AAAD, a division of the Upper Cumberland Development District, connects older adults and adults with disabilities in the 14-county Upper Cumberland region with services and resources to improve their quality of life. Find

The Friends of Cumberland Mountain State Park are seeking volunteers to help plant a second native wildflower pollinator-friendly meadow at the park. Thanks to a second Tennessee State Iris Grant, they will be planting 826 plugs near Shelter One and the basketball court on Saturday, April 11th, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Anyone interested in helping is asked to contact Laurie Snyder by text at 615-969-7612 or by email at [email protected]; she will provide reminders and any necessary updates. The Iris Grants are funded through the purchase of Tennessee’s official State Parks specialty vehicle license plates, which feature iris flowers and support landscaping improvements across the state parks. Last December (2024), forty volunteers from the UT Extension Master Gardeners, Fairfield Glade Garden Club, Obed Watershed Community Association, and the Friends and staff of Cumberland Mountain State Park planted 3,800 plugs to establish the first pollinator-friendly wildflower meadow at the start of the ADA trail.