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
1.25 million meals each year, and provides affordable housing to nearly
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.