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.