Hebrew SeniorLife Launches “The Age of Opportunity"
Campaign Addresses Urgent and Advancing Needs of Seniors from All Walks of Life
BOSTON – Hebrew SeniorLife, New England’s largest nonprofit provider of senior health care and living communities dedicated to improving the lives of older adults, and the only senior care organization affiliated with Harvard Medical School, last night launched its Age of Opportunity campaign, the largest fundraising program in the organization’s history.
“Aging is universal. Aging well should be, too,” said Lou Woolf, President and CEO of Hebrew SeniorLife. “Yet the needs facing today’s seniors are truly urgent: More housing - and more supportive services within that housing, especially for low-income seniors. More support for people with dementia and their families. More programs that support a senior’s mind, body, and spirit. And more geriatric research and training to continually move this important, specialized field forward.”
Woolf added, “Meeting this challenge is our calling and our commitment. Only an organization like Hebrew SeniorLife, that’s been successfully pushing boundaries for almost 120 years, is equipped to innovate for the seniors and caregivers of tomorrow.”
Board member and Age of Opportunity co-chair Hinda Marcus said, “The Age of Opportunity is about this particular moment in time when we can change the trajectory of how society cares for seniors and in doing so, change the trajectory of our lives. The Age of Opportunity is also about how we, HSL’s donors and supporters, have the unique opportunity to step forward and make a serious impact on this critical issue.”
“We have already reached $93M of our $125M campaign goal. Those funds are being put to good use: building the infrastructure needed to help researchers nationwide develop clinical trials that prioritize older adults and their needs; enhancing our memory health services so people with memory concerns or a dementia diagnosis have a place to turn for help and answers for themselves and their families; transforming a patient floor on our flagship campus into a person-centered, modern environment that feels like home; and enhancing our programs that go above and beyond in the care of seniors. And we’ve only just begun,” Marcus added.
The Age of Opportunity campaign was launched last night at Hebrew SeniorLife’s eighth annual EngAGE event. Featured performers included Grammy Award-winning singer and Blues and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Mavis Staples and Tony and Emmy award-winning actor and concert artist Mandy Patinkin. Guest speakers included George Q. Daley, M.D., Ph.D., Dean of Harvard Medical School and the Caroline Shields Walker Professor of Medicine, who spoke about Hebrew SeniorLife’s and Harvard Medical School’s partnership to advance geriatric medical education and research; and Louise Aronson, M.D., M.F.A., a leading geriatrician and Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Aronson is the author of the New York Times non-fiction bestseller, Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, and Reimagining Life.
Co-chairs for the Age of Opportunity are Hinda Marcus and Irwin Chafetz.
About Hebrew SeniorLife
Hebrew SeniorLife is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching, and redefining the possibilities of aging. Hebrew SeniorLife cares for more than 3,000 seniors a day across six campuses throughout Greater Boston. Our locations include: Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-Boston and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-NewBridge in Dedham; NewBridge on the Charles, Dedham; Orchard Cove, Canton; Simon C. Fireman Community, Randolph; Center Communities of Brookline, Brookline; and Jack Satter House, Revere. Founded in 1903, Hebrew SeniorLife also conducts influential research into aging at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, which has a portfolio of more than $63 million, making it the largest gerontological research facility in the U.S. in a clinical setting. It also trains more than 1,000 geriatric care providers each year. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit https://www.hebrewseniorlife.org or follow us on our blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
