Honor JASA’s 50 Years

Assembly Resolution No. 1171 BY: M. of A. Rosenthal L COMMENDING the Jewish Association Serving the Aging for 50 years of dedicated service to the community, to be celebrated May 16, 2018 WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor those illustrious organizations of the State of New York whose purposeful endeavors serve to enhance the quality of life for the citizens in their communities; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commend the Jewish Association Serving the Aging for 50 years of dedicated service to the community, to be celebrated May 16, 2018; and WHEREAS, The Jewish Association Serving the Aging (JASA) serves older adults in over 50 locations across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens, and has succeeded in its mission to keep seniors living happily and independently in the communities they have built and anchored; and WHEREAS, Over the course of 50 years, JASA has become a mainstay in the daily lives of tens of thousands of aging New Yorkers; and WHEREAS, JASA is guided by the Jewish value of honoring the aging, and the organization has done so spectacularly, serving elderly individuals of all races, gender identities, religions and economic backgrounds; and WHEREAS, An overwhelming majority of older New Yorkers desire to age in place, and JASA's robust programming helps to make this dream a reality for so many New York seniors; and WHEREAS, Through a uniquely tailored approach that blends community-based, patient-centered programming, JASA has expanded its supportive services to more than 43,000 older adults each year; and WHEREAS, In addition to providing mental health and educational programming and legal services in more than 10 languages, JASA serves

2,500 older adults; and WHEREAS, Older New Yorkers are the bedrock of the communities they inhabit, often serving as a bridge between one generation and the next in a particular community; JASA helps ensure that so many of these New Yorkers are able to remain in their neighborhoods as they age; and WHEREAS, With so much uncertainty, politically and socially, the safety net JASA is able to offer, particularly to lower-income seniors, is often the difference between aging happily in place along with supportive community members and aging elsewhere; and WHEREAS, Neighborhoods and communities across New York City are transforming with incredible pace; and while change is often positive, we must preserve the neighborhood institutions that help support those who have lived here the longest; and WHEREAS, This significant milestone is an excellent opportunity to recognize the special contributions of JASA and the dedicated individuals who strive to better the quality of life for citizens in their community; and RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to commend the Jewish Association Serving the Aging for 50 years of dedicated service to the community, and to wish them the best of good fortune in the years to come; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to the Jewish Association Serving the Aging.