Stories form the fabric of who we are — they inspire us to be better people, help us find common ground through shared experience, and remind us where we came from. Storytelling is an art that connects generations. That’s why the White House Conference on Aging and StoryCorps are working together to help older Americans document and share their stories.

To get things started, StoryCorps pulled together an inspiring set of interviews featuring older Americans from their archives. The stories are those of sweetness and sorrow, laughter and tears.

• Sisters Priya Morganstern and Bhavani Jaroff interview their father, Ken Morganstern, about what it’s like to live with Alzheimer's disease.
• Frank Curre recalls the attack on Pearl Harbor, memories he says are tattooed on his soul.
• Bobbi Cote-Whitacre tells the story of the joyous day she was finally able to marry her wife, Sandi.
• Betty Jenkins, 94, tells a story about the early days of commercial air travel and a wardrobe malfunction at 30,000 feet.

Stories are timeless and can be enjoyed by generations to come.

In celebration of the 2015 White House Conference on Aging, I encourage you to interview somebody from a different generation. Interview an older adult, or somebody who is making a difference for older Americans in your community. This year, we are celebrating the 50th anniversaries of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act, as well as the 80th anniversary of Social Security. Tell us about the difference these programs have made in your life or the lives of your family, friends and neighbors. All of these stories together are patches in the quilt that is the great American story.

You can use the StoryCorps app to record your interview, then post it on Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #WHCOA.

To record an interview using the StoryCorps app:

1. Visit https://storycorps.me/ and download the free public beta mobile app from the iTunes store (Apple users) or Google Play store (Android users).
2. Choose your interview partner.
3. Use the question generator in the app to plan your interview. The generator contains questions on a variety of topics – including grandparents, family heritage, remembering a loved one, love and relationships. It also allows you to write your own questions.
4. Record the interview using the app on your phone, which serves as a digital facilitator that will guide you through the process of preparation, recording, and archiving your conversation.
5. Tag recordings with general keyword “WHCOA” (for White House Conference on Aging).
6. Upload your recording to StoryCorps to be archived in the Library of Congress.
7. Share your recording on Twitter and Facebook using the #WHCOA hashtag.

For more information about recording your interview, visit the StoryCorps.me website. To listen to stories of older Americans selected from the StoryCorps archives, visit http://StoryCorps.org/WHCOA.

You can also share your story on the White House Conference on Aging website.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Last Friday, I was in Los Angeles, CA and took part in the second leg of the nationwide “Lead on Leave: Empowering Working Families Across America” tour. On this tour, Obama Administration officials are fanning out across the country to talk with everyday Americans about why we need to catch up with the rest of the developed world and implement sensible paid leave and paid sick days policies -- why we need to #LeadOnLeave. (Check out Secretary Perez’s stop in Seattle here.)

Talking pro-working families policies over breakfast:

While in Los Angeles, I headed to Manifesto Café for breakfast, a restaurant that seeks to protect workers’ rights and give community members access to quality, affordable food. The owners spoke about how they feel that they can retain their staff and be great employers, in part by looking out for their workers and paying them more than the minimum wage.

Over coffee and muffins, I spoke with business leaders, advocates, and City Council and local elected officials about why workers deserve access to paid leave and paid sick days. One of the participants described how his wife recently had a baby, and how she needed help at home in the beginning. He said that because he works for an employer that offers no paid leave, he couldn’t be there when his wife really needed him. He described how he just couldn’t give up a few days’ pay, noting that it’s when your child is born that you need your wages most.

Had a powerful round table on why we need to #LeadOnLeave w advocates, small business owners & parents in Los Angeles pic.twitter.com/EZbiWfHnYM

— Paulette Aniskoff (@PAniskoff44) April 4, 2015

President Obama believes that parents shouldn’t have to choose between caring for their children when they need it most and earning wages to keep their family afloat. That’s why he proposed $2 billion in new funds to encourage states to develop paid family and medical leave programs in his FY2016 budget.

California, Leading On Leave:

The United States is the only country in the developed world not to offer a single day of paid maternity leave. But California has taken action on this by allowing workers to take time off to care for an ill family member or bond with their new children. They’ve seen the rewards -- after the state implemented their paid family leave policy, working hours and earnings increased by almost 10 percent among mothers, once their children were 1-3 years old. And, by implementing paid leave California has helped lower-income women (who were less able to afford to use unpaid leave under the Family Medical Leave Act) take time off to care for and bond with their infants.

While there is clearly much work to do, California and other states and localities, such as Eugene, OR and Philadelphia, PA, are showing the benefits that are reaped by workers and businesses when we #LeadOnLeave.

Now, dig deeper:

• Read Secretary Tom Perez' travel log from his #LeadOnLeave stop in Seattle.
• Join the millions who have watched this video from the Department of Labor on why it's time for the U.S. to #LeadOnLeave.
• Learn more about the policy issues affecting working families, and share your own story.
• Learn how the picture has changed for working dads (we bet you'll learn something new) -- and pass it on.

Actions include signing up for mobile alerts and warnings; holding a preparedness discussion to emphasize the steps you, your family, friends, colleagues, and community should take to be ready should a disaster occur; and conducting a drill so people are familiar with what to do beforehand.  

Join over five million participants who have registered to take part! Here at the White House, we're holding a preparedness training for employees to learn how they can prepare themselves, their loved ones, and others. Joining us will be Owlie Skywarn, the National Weather Service mascot who helps promote severe weather education and safety. 

All across the nation, individuals, workplaces, schools, institutions of higher education, houses of worship, community-based organizations, states, and local governments have embraced America’s PrepareAthon! by planning events that inspire people to get more prepared in the event of a wildfire, hurricane, tornado, or flood. Below are some events happening around the country, including a few that you can join virtually.

Nationwide

#Petpared Twitter Challenge – Complete pet preparedness actions, like creating a pet emergency kit and taking pets on an emergency drill. After finishing, take a picture of your pet and yourself and tweet it with the hashtag #Petpared by April 30.

State Governments

Colorado Federal Employee PrepareAthon! Exercise – All federal agencies in Colorado will participate in a tornado and evacuation drill on April 30.

Local Governments

Jefferson County Lunch and Learn Session – Jefferson County, West Virginia, is hosting a “lunch and learn” session on personal financial preparedness for national disasters on April 30 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Community Organizations

Finger Lakes Disaster Volunteer Campaign (Rochester, NY) – Finger Lakes Regional Volunteer Center will kick off a nine-county virtual event to recruit non-medical disaster volunteers on April 30.

Red Cross Community Presentation (Culver City, CA) – Community ambassadors for the American Red Cross will be hosting a quarterly meeting to discuss community support for the Red Cross mission to prepare, respond, and recover from disaster on April 30 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Private Sector

Local AM Radio Station Hosts Preparedness Talk – WINY1350 in Putnam, Connecticut will host a one-hour presentation on preparedness education. Listeners will be encouraged to join MRC, CERT, Red Cross, local EM, and volunteer EMS/Fire Departments. The presentation will air on April 30 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center National Preparedness Awareness – Brookdale will educate staff, communities, patients and their families of the importance of being prepared in an emergency and provide handouts on disaster planning and family emergency planning on April 30.

The PrepareAthon! campaign is directed as part of President Obama’s Presidential Policy Directive 8: National Preparedness. Occurring twice yearly in the spring and fall, PrepareAthon! will provide a recurring opportunity for government agencies, nonprofit organizations, schools, corporations, communities, and individuals of all ages to practice concrete actions through drills, group discussions, and exercises for relevant local hazards to increase preparedness and build more resilient communities. 

• Be Smart: Know your hazards in your community. Download guides to learn how to prepare.
• Take Part: Plan activities and host an event.
• Prepare: Practice a drill or have a discussion about preparedness. Participation can include being a part of community emergency planning, hazard-specific drills, group discussions and exercises. 

It’s not too late to participate in America’s PrepareAthon! at www.ready.gov/prepare and stay tuned into the discussion on Twitter by following @PrepareAthon.

Here at the White House, we're getting ready for the first America's PrepareAthon!, a national day of action that will take place April 30, 2014.

Join us this Monday, April 7 at 1:00 p.m. ET to discuss America’s PrepareAthon!, a community-based campaign to build a more secure and resilient nation by getting people to understand what disasters could happen in their communities and to take action to increase their preparedness. Actions include signing up for mobile alerts and warnings, holding a preparedness discussion to emphasize the steps people should take to be ready should a disaster occur, and conducting a drill so people are familiar with what to do beforehand.  

Join us for a Google+ Hangout to hear from the head of FEMA, an award-winning meteorologist, and leaders from across the nation who share a passion for getting prepared. I will moderate the live discussion.

Participants include:

• Craig Fugate, Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Mike Bettes, The Weather Channel’s award-winning meteorologist
• Cameron Clayton, President of the Digital Division for The Weather Channel
• Nancy LeaMond, Executive Vice President for AARP’s State and National Group
• Jesse Salinas, State Director for AARP Alabama
• Divya Saini, Block Preparedness Coordinator and founder of “Movers and Shakers”
• Chief Roy Acree, City of Smyrna, GA Fire Chief
• Boyce Wilson, Emergency Preparedness Planner for Heart of Texas Council of Governments

Join the conversation now by asking questions on Twitter using #PrepareAthon. And you can watch the Hangout live on Monday, April 7 at 1:00 p.m. by visiting the White House Google+ and YouTube pages. Live closed captioning is also available during the Hangout.

The PrepareAthon! campaign is directed as part of President Obama’s Presidential Policy Directive 8: National Preparedness. On April 30, and throughout the spring, America’s PrepareAthon! activities will focus on preparing individuals, families, workplaces, K-12 schools, institutions of higher education, houses of worship, and community-based organizations for tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires.

• Be Smart: Know your hazards in your community. Download guides to learn how to prepare.
• Take Part: Plan activities and host an event locally on April 30.
• Prepare: Practice a drill or have a discussion about preparedness. Participation can include being a part of community emergency planning, hazard-specific drills, group discussions, and exercises. 

Get involved by registering as a participant in America’s PrepareAthon! at www.ready.gov/prepare, and stay tuned into the discussion on Twitter by following @PrepareAthon.