A senior whose involvement in the community for the betterment of others has been selected as the 2016 Saline County Senior Honoree by the Saline County Commission on Aging (COA) Board of Directors. Salinan George Cardinal will be honored along with Senior Honorees from other counties during the annual Sunflower Fair next week.

Organized by the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency, the annual health and wellness event is scheduled for 8 a.m.-4 p.m. September 20 in the Salina Bicentennial Center.  The cost is $25 per person.

To say Cardinal is involved is probably a gross understatement. The former COA Board Chair has been involved in a wide variety of organizations, both for the good of seniors and the community as a whole.

Cardinal served on the Saline County Commission on Aging Board of Directors from 2009-2014. During that time, he served as Board Secretary-Treasurer from 2011-2013 and Board Chair in 2014. While Cardinal was on the COA Board, he was instrumental in moving forward a project to have energy efficient lighting installed in the Salina Senior Center. He also played a major role in an exterior preservation project for the historic Salina Senior Center building.

In addition to his duties with the Saline County Commission on Aging, Cardinal also served in the Kansas Silver Haired Legislature and on the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging Board.

Cardinal’s other civic involvement includes the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce, Salina Junior Chamber of Commerce, Kansas Jaycees, North Businessmen’s Association (Salina), Saline County Tri-Rivers Fair Association, Kansas Governor’s Committee for Paraguay, Saline County Rescue Squad, Kansas Motor Carriers Association, Boy Scouts of America, Knights of Columbus, Marine Corps League (both local and state levels), Order of Elks, Salina/Saline County War Memorial Board, OCCK Board, Kansas Jaycees Cerebral Palsy Foundation, and the committee responsible for putting Ad Astra on the Kansas Capitol dome.