Fund To Help 94-Year-Old Reach Senior Games

A special bank account has been opened for contributions to help a 94-year-old woman travel to San Francisco in August to participate in her eighth National Senior Games.

Donations can be made at any branch of Heartland National Bank to the Lillian Webb National Senior Games account.

The account was opened by Highlands County Commissioner Guy Maxcy and Grace Plants.

Plants said the goal is to raise $2,500, to cover lodging and meals over the 10 days Webb will be competing.

Webb, a retired history and art teacher who will turn 95 this year, qualified at the state senior games to compete in six events: the 100- and 200- meter runs, long jump, shot put, discus throw and bowling. She has set national records in her age group for four events: the 100-meter run, long jump, shot put and discus.

"She's a wonderful person, I think she deserves to go, and I would like to see her represent Highlands County and the rest of us older folks," Plants said.

Webb has competed in seven other National Senior Games, held every two years. She has always paid all of her expenses for the competitions, traveling to Pittsburgh, San Antonia, Tucson, Ariz., Norfolk, Va., Louisville, Ky., and twice to Baton Rouge, La.

This year, though, Webb said, she can't afford to compete at the national level in San Francisco entirely on her own resources.

"I think this is a great story for our county, it's something the whole county needs to be proud of, and we need to honor her by helping her get to the National Senior Games," Maxcy said.

In 2004, then Gov. Jeb Bush presented Webb with a trophy from the Florida Sports Association naming her the state's "amateur athlete of the year."