United Adult Ministries, the parent company of Flushing House, will honor three senior advocates with the Rose Kryzak Senior Leadership Award, during an annual fundraising gala dinner on Thursday, November 6.
The awards are named after the late Rose Kryzak, who was a dedicated senior activist and a long-time resident of Flushing House. She is best known for her successful campaign to pass New York State’s EPIC (Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage) program.
This year’s honorees all had close working relationships with Kryzak, and they are Jane C. Bardavid, Linda M. Leest, and Judith Zangwill.
“They have all soldiered on in the tradition of Rose Kryzak, making major contributions of service and caring for older adults,” said Robert F. Salant, Flushing House director of community relations.
Jane C. Bardavid, ACSW, has been director of the Community Advisory Program for the Elderly (CAPE) for the past 26 years. CAPE is a NYS licensed community-based mental health clinic, sited within the Samuel Field YM & YWHA in northeast Queens. CAPE is committed to providing for the mental health needs of older adults, with linkages to socialization, health care, case management and other social services.
Bardavid is chair of the Geriatrics Committee of the Queens Mental Health Council, and co-chair of the citywide Geriatrics Committee of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She is a board member of the Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies, a policy and advocacy umbrella organization, and the Queensboro Council for Social Welfare.
Linda M. Leest, Ph.D., MSW, has been executive director of Services Now for Adult Persons (SNAP) since 1985. Under Dr. Leest, SNAP has grown in size and scope of services, from case management, home-delivered meals and transportation, to include the Bell Park, Floral Park, Queens Village and Rosedale Senior Centers. The Floral Park and Queens Village Centers consolidated in 1999. The agency provides a broad array of services to thousands of seniors in Queens.
Dr. Leest serves on the NYS Aging Services Advisory Committee. She is past president of both the Queens Interagency Council on Aging and the NYS Coalition for the Aging. She serves as vice president of the board of directors of the Council of Senior Centers and Services of NYC (CSCS). As chair of the CSCS Action Committee for 10 years, Dr. Leest worked with the Department for the Aging to resolve issues with provider agencies. Her advocacy has resulted in funding for various services for seniors.
Judith Zangwill, MSW, has served as executive director of Sunnyside Community Services (SCS) since 1990 and as associate executive director from 1986 to 1990. SCS was started by a group of older residents in 1974 as a small senior center in a church basement, and has grown to become the largest social services agency in Western Queens. Today SCS serves 15,000 people of all ages, with over 8,000 active and frail older adults. Zangwill’s role has been critical to the growth of SCS.
Zangwill serves on the board of the Council of Senior Centers and Services of NYC, and chairs the CSCS Strategic Planning Committee. She is a member of the board of United Neighborhood Houses (umbrella group for the NYC settlement houses), and of Sunnywood, a housing complex for frail elderly and disabled low-income seniors, managed jointly by SCS and Woodside on the Move.
The gala fundraising dinner will be held on November 6, at Westbury Manor, Westbury, Long Island, and begins at 6 p.m.
Those interested in attending should R.S.V.P. by October 24, 2008 by sending your name and address, along with a $75 check payable to United Adult Ministries, to Robert F. Salant, director of community relations, Flushing House, 38-20 Bowne Street, Flushing, NY 11354. To advertise in the journal, please respond by October 3, 2008 by calling 347-532-3025 or email rsalant@uam.org.
All proceeds support a special endowment fund, which helps keep Flushing House an affordable option for many of the older adults who live there.
Built in 1974, Flushing House is a not-for-profit retirement residence, and was one of the first to offer older adults independent living with supportive services on-premises.
