On May 4th, LiveOn NY held its 26th Annual City Advocacy Day, hosting a virtual rally where we were joined by more than 150 older adults and senior services professionals calling for real investments in senior services.
Our program included speakers:
Council Member Chin, Chair of the City Council Committee on Aging
Council Member Levine, Chair of the City Council Committee on Health
Khristel Simmons, Director of Food & Nutrition Services, Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center
Donna Atmore-Dolly, Executive Director, Allen Community Non-profit Programs
Caroline Trim, Participant, Goddard Riverside Community Center
Carlyn Cowen, Chief Policy & Public Affairs Officer, Chinese-American Planning Council
Our message was clear: It is time for the City to invest in senior services, namely: $48 million towards Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) for human services workers, $16.6 million for home-delivered meals programs, investments in technology, and more. See our full list of advocacy priorities here.
Following the virtual rally, participants also made calls to Council Members to amplify the need for funding for senior services in the budget.
The day also included a tweetstorm, with providers sharing their calls for investments in senior services and calling for the City to authorize Senior Centers to reopen in-person services with proper guidance. Using the hashtag #Action4Aging, providers and older adults alike made their voices heard!
But the advocacy didn’t stop there… Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, joined by LiveOn NY and our partner, United Neighborhood Houses, also coordinated an opportunity on May 4th for older adults to share their calls for Senior Centers to reopen in person. Using the hashtag #OpenOurSeniorCenters, dozens of older New Yorkers took pictures sharing messages of what they miss most about their senior center, to demonstrate why it’s critical that these spaces reopen.
In all, our 26th Annual Advocacy Day was unlike any other, and we’re just getting started. Thank you to all of the participants who joined our rally, made calls, took pictures, or shared tweets to demand #Action4Aging.
Check out highlights from the day, below!
Soon 1 in 5 New Yorkers will be over the age of 60. With an aging City, we must create a better future to age in for all NYers. #Action4Aging #OpenOurSeniorCenters @galeabrewer @liveonny @UNHNY. pic.twitter.com/6PIRyI5Gbw
— Manny Cantor Center (@MannyCantorNYC) May 4, 2021
Thank you to all of the participants of our Advocacy Day!