Welcome to the November/December 2021 issue of Northeast Ohio Boomer magazine! Our theme for this holiday issue is "Joyful Giving" so you'll find lots of stories about local folks giving of themselves to others, starting with our 2021 Boomer Impact Award winner Tom Hlavin.

This Veterans Day, find answers to lingering questions you may have about your own military experience or for details involving current veterans issues or military history. Access the Veterans' Service Records on the The National Archives and Records Administration website to request military service records, research using military records, replace lost medals and awards, browse WWII photos, watch memorial videos and more.

The Social Security Administration is here for surviving family members when a worker dies. In the event of your death, certain members of your family may be eligible for survivors benefits. These include widows and widowers, divorced widows and widowers, children and dependent parents.

How does one of little means make a real difference? Just do it. Do not wait for the perfect plan and the feeling of confidence to come. If we doubt ourselves but are still motivated to act, then we are ready. We are competent enough to begin by taking the first step.

Don’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet. There’s one more job left to do to be ready to spring into action at the first sign of warm weather next year. That would be making sure your gardening tools are up for the work to come. Here are some tips to make the job easier.

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is transforming into a winter wonderland this holiday season with Wild Winter Lights presented by NOPEC. Experience this year’s all-new lighting display, with more than one million individual lights and unique twists on holiday traditions. You may even see bears, tigers and reindeer!