Honor Chuckie Holstein’s Retirement

Assembly Resolution No. 334 BY: M. of A. Magnarelli COMMENDING Charlotte "Chuckie" Holstein upon the occasion of her retirement after 20 years of distinguished service as Executive Director of F.O.C.U.S. Greater Syracuse WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize and honor the distinguished careers of those esteemed individuals within our midst whose lives have been committed to the pursuit of excellence and who bring great pride to the citizens of our Empire State; and WHEREAS, The quality and character of life in the Central New York community has been ably served and uniquely enriched through the selfless dedication and benevolent concern of Charlotte "Chuckie" Holstein; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to hereby honor and recognize Chuckie Holstein upon the occasion of her retirement after serving 20 years as Executive Director of F.O.C.U.S. Greater Syracuse; she will officially retire on April 28, 2017, at 91 years young; and WHEREAS, Up until the day of her retirement, Chuckie Holstein has devoted her time to F.O.C.U.S. Greater Syracuse daily; she still on occasion works a 12-hour shift and works on an entirely volunteer basis; she accepts no salary as the executive director and continues to plan presentations that address topics such as health care, citizen engagement, and the development of age-friendly communities; and WHEREAS, Chuckie Holstein is also organizing the 8th Annual Wisdom Keeper celebration, the next F.O.C.U.S. forum, and the third F.O.C.U.S. report on Onondaga Lake; in the evenings, she attends and participates in various civic events; and WHEREAS, Chuckie Holstein, originally from Rochester, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Brockport just after WWII in 1946; during that same year, she married her loving husband of 70 years and fellow civic leader Alexander Holstein; and WHEREAS, Following her graduation and marriage, Chuckie Holstein settled in Syracuse with her husband; she is a founder of the City/County Office of the Aging in Syracuse, the Syracuse Meals on Wheels, the Syracuse Commission for Women, and founder of the independent, non-profit organization Leadership Greater Syracuse; and WHEREAS, From 1990 to 2000, Chuckie Holstein served for 10 years as Executive Director of Leadership Greater Syracuse; as a collaboration among the City of Syracuse, Onondaga County, Onondaga Community College and Centerstate CEO, Leadership Greater Syracuse continues to inspire current and future leaders to make a difference in our community; and WHEREAS, In 1998, Chuckie Holstein and Judith Mower founded F.O.C.U.S. Greater Syracuse (Forging Our Community's United Strength); F.O.C.U.S. is a citizen-driven organization charged with the goal of making Syracuse a better place to live, work, and play; it enables citizens to work together with government, nonprofit organizations, and businesses to improve the quality of life and economic future of Central New York; and WHEREAS, F.O.C.U.S. engages citizens in research, public policy advocacy, public education, and public outreach; and WHEREAS, F.O.C.U.S. has experienced great success as an organization; most notably, in 2007, F.O.C.U.S. played an essential role when Syracuse was selected by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as one of four cities nationwide to conduct a forum titled "Public Engagement Project on Community Control Measures for Pandemic Influenza"; Chuckie Holstein, as executive director of F.O.C.U.S., offered her intuitive and informed guidance in the planning of this event, and the findings from the Syracuse forum were included in the CDC's and World Health Organization's (WHO) final reports; and WHEREAS, Chuckie Holstein has received several national and local recognitions; regionally, she was recognized twice by The Post-Standard and selected for the "All Time Woman of Achievement"; Chuckie Holstein was additionally awarded the Civic Ventures and Atlantic Philanthropies National Purpose Prize for community service by senior citizens (2007); and WHEREAS, Chuckie Holstein holds an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from both Le Moyne College (1998) and Syracuse University (2015) for her local and global efforts; and WHEREAS, In addition to her work in the Syracuse area, Chuckie Holstein has served President Jimmy Carter on the Advisory Committee for the White House Conferences on Families, Governor Nelson Rockefeller on the New York Board of Social Welfare, and Governor Hugh Carey as a member of the New York State Division of Youth; and WHEREAS, Chuckie Holstein has met with presidents of South-American countries, and has met personally with Pope John Paul at his residence in the Vatican to discuss human rights and human relations issues; and WHEREAS, Chuckie Holstein has spread the message of leadership and sustainability to audiences world-wide at a number of local, state, and national organizations including the United Nations World Conference for Women in Beijing, China, and in Nairobi, Kenya; she also has participated in the American Jewish Committee's (AJC) "Women's Interreligious Mission" to Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Israel; for this work, she received the AJC National Leadership Award; and WHEREAS, Upon her retirement, Chuckie Holstein will have more time to spend with her family, especially her husband, Alex, along with her adult children and her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and WHEREAS, Chuckie Holstein, in every capacity in which she has served, has left a permanent mark on the Central New York community; she will be forever remembered as a determined, innovative and genuinely concerned expert in her field; and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individuals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to recognize and honor Charlotte "Chuckie" Holstein upon the occasion of her retirement, and to wish her well in all her future endeavors; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Charlotte "Chuckie" Holstein.