Discover. Share. Celebrate.

Join us for our 7th Annual 80 Over Eighty Celebration!

Discover your Central Texas community members who’ve made a big impact in the community.

Event Details: Thursday, April 3, 2025 from 10am to 1pm at
Austin Marriott Downtown

Family Eldercare’s 80 Over Eighty is an annual celebration where we share heartwarming stories of our friends and neighbors in Central Texas who are 80 and older. The event shares the rich tapestry of our older adult neighbors and the diversity of their experiences. Proceeds raised will help fund affordable housing, health and wellness, and advocacy services for older adults.

This year’s event will have a special flair—a jazz-inspired theme, celebrating not only the unique and soulful stories of these individuals but also the rhythm and improvisation that mirrors their lives.

Hosted by KXAN’s award-winning weathercaster, Jim Spencer, this memorable event will include a mocktail reception, brunch, and awards ceremony with an electrifying performance by “Austin’s First Lady of Jazz,” Pamela Hart, and an inspiring keynote address by Meredith Hamons, MT-BC of North Austin Music Therapy.

Join us to celebrate the contributions of remarkable older adults but also empowers Family Eldercare to continue providing essential services. Together, we can ensure affordable housing, health, and advocacy for those who have given so much to our community.

Master of Ceremonies

Jim Spencer has been forecasting Austin and Central Texas weather longer than anyone in the history of Austin television, serving KXAN for over 31 years before transitioning to part-time work in 2021. A past recipient of the National Weather Association’s Weathercaster of the Year award and three-time Emmy winner, Spencer has been voted Austin’s Best Weathercaster 21 times by Austin Chronicle readers and has garnered numerous Texas Associated Press Best Weathercast awards. His extensive community leadership includes serving on the board of Service Dogs, Inc., the Community Advisory Board for Austin Wildlife Rescue, and the Helping Hand Home for Children, while also representing KXAN in their longtime partnership with Family Eldercare’s Summer Fan Drive. As a Court Appointed Special Advocate, he has volunteered his time to support abused and neglected children in Travis County, and co-hosted the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association for 19 years. His passion for weather began in his hometown of Lindsay, Oklahoma, in the heart of tornado alley, leading to professional affiliations with the National Weather Association and the American Meteorological Society. Learn more at KXAN – Jim Spencer.

Musical Talent

Pamela Hart has devoted over 25 years to keeping the jazz genre alive through her captivating performances and community leadership. Together with her husband Kevin Hart, she has produced the influential Women in Jazz Concert Series since 1994, creating opportunities for female jazz musicians across Texas. Renowned as “Austin’s First Lady of Jazz” by Austin Women’s Magazine, and a member of the prestigious Texas Touring Roster and 2018 inductee into the Austin Jazz Society Hall of Fame, Hart has shared stages with legendary artists including Nancy Wilson, Dianne Reeves, and Kirk Whalum. She has performed at prestigious international venues including the Jazz à Vienne, Jazz à Juan, and Montreux Jazz festivals, and recently showcased her artistry with “Pamela Hart Sings Billie Holiday” at the 2025 Association of Performing Arts Professionals Conference in New York City. Her accolades include the “2023 Best Female Jazz Performer” at the Black Music Awards – Houston, and her latest album Happy Talk showcases her smooth vocals and personal approach to beloved jazz standards. Learn more at Pamela Hart’s website.

Guest Speaker

Meredith Hamons, MT-BC, is a board-certified music therapist who founded North Austin Music Therapy in 2010 to expand possibilities for clients of all ages through the power of music. An accomplished author, she published Musically Engaged Seniors in 2013 and co-authored Music, Memory, and Meaning in 2017, with her first book now incorporated into music therapy college curriculums. After graduating summa cum laude from Duquesne University on a full academic scholarship, Hamons received additional training in Neurologic Music Therapy from Colorado State University in 2011. Her clinical expertise spans diverse therapeutic models, allowing her to create effective, customized treatment approaches for both individual therapy and group programming. The creator of the unique Musically Engaged Seniors program, Hamons regularly shares her expertise as a speaker at national, regional, and state conferences, including multiple presentations for the National Music Therapy Conference, Texas Parent to Parent State Conference, and the Brain Injury Association of Texas. She also offers professional development through her course “Zero to Full Time: Older Adults” on MusicTherapyEd.com. Learn more at North Austin Music Therapy.