Love is in the air – again. In my last post, I told you about a contest for love stories sponsored by Emeritus Senior Living. Now I found out about a Florida-based marketing & PR firm that is seeking submissions of senior love stories for a book. The Ehlers Group, a firm that specializes in marketing programs for senior housing communities, is kicking off its “365 Senior Love Stories” quest on Valentine’s Day.

“We are often inspired after meeting residents at our clients’ communities,” said Janis Ehlers. “They often have such rich histories. From their first meeting and courtship to when they married and their early lives, these are wonderful heartfelt stories that need to be written down.”

The idea for the book was sparked during a recent visit to The Carlisle, a retirement community in Naples, Fla. Residents Jim and Winnie Perrill shared the story of their second marriage with Ehlers, who thought the romantic couple’s life sounded like a Lifetime Television movie.

“They are so in love and happy,” said Ehlers. “Everyone enjoys hearing a great love story.”

Entries for 365 Senior Love Stories must be submitted by May 31, 2010. So you have three and a half months to interview mom and dad, or grandma and grandpa, and get it written (400 words is the limit and that’s really not much). What do you get for your effort? For the 365 chosen – the joy of seeing your work in a published book. In my opinion, whether your submission is chosen or not, you may find that the process of writing a small piece of your family’s history will be rewarding on its own.

Additional submission guidelines include:

1. At least one party must be at least 70 years at the time of submission;
2. Both parties be living when the submission is made;
3. The submission may be written by the couple, relatives or third-parties on their behalf;
4. Submissions must be no more than 400 words (include how the couple met, courtship, wedding ceremony, length of marriage, etc.);
5. Submissions must be typewritten and include the full names of the couple, address and telephone contact information for verification;
6. The published story will contain only first names and ages;
7. Submissions without telephone numbers cannot be considered;
8. Submissions may be rewritten, edited and shortened at the discretion of the book authors;
9. Book authors reserve the right to select the love stories for publication and will notify the submitters in advance of the selection;
10. If you would like to submit a photo(s), it could be a wedding photo, a picture of the couple when they met or a recent photo;

Pictures need to include the couples’ names and a photographer’s name if credit is required. Photographs altered in any fashion are not accepted. Pictures can not be returned.  Image requirements: JPEG file format and 300 dpi. Please provide pictures that avoid red-eye, busy backgrounds, etc. Image where the couple’s heads and eyes are on the same level are preferred.

To submit a Love Story, please email SeniorLoveStories@TheEhlersGroup.com. For more information, please call 954-726-9228 or visit 365SeniorLoveStories.blogspot.com.

As I’ve watched my father’s relationship with his dear friend Ginny grow closer and closer over the last 20 months, it has demonstrated to me that love really can blossom later in life.  He and Ginny are just one of the many happy couples I see when I visit their Florida continuing care retirement community. So with Valentine’s Day coming up in a week, I wanted to share this contest sponsored by a national senior living provider. Following is the information from their website:

In honor of Valentine’s Day, Emeritus Senior Living, a national provider of assisted living and Alzheimer’s and related dementia care services to seniors, is holding a Facebook contest that encourages fans to share personal and family love stories.

Emeritus’ “Lifetime of Love” contest gives fans the opportunity to share their own love stories, or family love stories that have been passed down from parents and grandparents. Fans are encouraged to post their love stories as comments to the “Valentines Day Contest” tab on the Emeritus Senior Living Facebook page. One grand prize winner will receive a $500 American Express gift card. Twenty additional winners will receive a $100 American Express gift card. All winners will be announced via Facebook on February 15th, 2010.

The inspiration behind the Emeritus “Lifetime of Love” contest comes from sharing the personal stories and journeys of many of the residents who live at its 316 communities across the country. Among the residents who have shared their heartwarming love stories with Emeritus are four Garden Grove, CA couples who are scheduled to renew their wedding vows at Emeritus at Garden Manor community in a group ceremony on February 12th, 2010.