Local United Way enhances the lives of thousands of area seniors

By Susan S. Lang

When people think of the human service agencies that the United Way supports, agencies that serve people in crisis or in economic stress often come to mind, such as Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services, the Salvation Army or Better Housing for Tompkins County. But the United Way also supports agencies that enhance quality of life, such as the YMCA, the Girl Scouts and Lifelong (formerly, the Tompkins County Senior Citizens' Council).

Barry Adams, Cornell professor emeritus of English, lectures earlier this month at Lifelong during a course he teaches there on Verdi's Macbeth and its relation to Shakespeare's. Lifelong, a United Way agency, was formerly known as the Tompkins County Senior Citizens' Council. Robert Barker/University Photography

Take Lifelong, for example. In 2003 more than 11,000 seniors took advantage of one or more of its services, including 424 senior citizens who volunteered more than 62,000 hours of service in 70 different community organizations through the agency's Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). RSVP volunteers serve in many capacities, such as tutors, librarians, meal servers, tax counselors, insurance counselors, literacy teachers and drivers.

"Valued at minimum wage, their contribution is worth $319,455," noted Bill Hawley, executive director of the Senior Citizens' Council, whose business name is now Lifelong: Enhancing the Second Half. "However, according to the Independent Sector, an organization of nonprofit organizations, volunteer service is worth $16.54 an hour, which means our service back to the community is worth more than $1 million."

That's just the tip of the senior council iceberg. "We also offer free blood pressure screening, health insurance counseling and income tax counseling," noted Hawley, who points out that its Northside Southside Program for Ithaca's retired seniors has more than two dozen programs, including health and wellness activities, a computer lab, half-fare bus tickets and African-American history events year round. In addition, Lifelong provides support and involvement to seniors in the far reaches of Tompkins County by coordinating senior groups in almost a dozen areas, from Caroline and Danby to Enfield, Groton and Trumansburg.

Lifelong also offered 39 courses this fall, from understanding lake source cooling, opera and writing biography to language courses, seven different computer courses, improvisational theater workshops, advance-care planning and peaceful dying. It also hosts exercise programs; creative arts classes, such as watercolors, quilting and a chorus; a men's club; a safe driving course; a holiday gift shop of craft items made by senior citizens; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender potluck suppers; and a hearing aid cleaning service, to name just a few. And to keep 14,000 senior households in the county informed about services and activities of interest to older adults, the agency publishes a quarterly newspaper, Senior Circle.

"I feel this is one of the most important organizations in the area for seniors," said Rose Sanford, a retired business manager of the Cornell Center for Materials Research. Sanford has been volunteering at Lifelong for about 14 years as secretary to the health and wellness committee, is a member of numerous other committees and has been co-host of the radio show "Senior Time" for about 10 years. "It offers so much that cannot be found elsewhere. It is a 'second home' to many. It not only offers companionship and support, it gives people a sense of belonging."

She noted that RSVP enriches hundreds of seniors' lives by helping others. "There is so much to gain by being a volunteer, and I wish every Cornell retiree would consider becoming involved, if for only an hour or two a week," Sanford said.

Greta Colavito, who worked at Cornell for 25 years at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, is one of Lifelong's new board members. "Over the years I came to appreciate the many services that are offered to seniors," she said. "Every function is aimed at improving the quality of life for those 50 and older."

Fred Warner, who was a senior editor in Media Services before retiring about 10 years ago, is in his second term as a board member of Lifelong. He notes that Lifelong fills a very important niche in the social fabric of the county by providing so many services and activities for older adults. "As a United Way affiliate, Lifelong is able to collaborate and network with other United Way and local government agencies for mutual support and to maximize our respective impacts on the community," he said. "As our older population continues to expand in the years ahead, they will find Lifelong to be an increasingly valuable community asset."

The United Way of Tompkins County's annual campaign, which supports Lifelong in addition to 30 other local human services agencies, 10 community councils and more than 100 programs in our community, is in its final weeks. United Way pledges can be paid through payroll deduction, in a check or with a credit card. If your pledge card has been misplaced, new ones can be obtained at the Tompkins County United Way Web site at http://www.uwtc.org or you can donate online at Cornell's updated United Way Web site, http://sws.cornell.edu/cuw/.