Supporting Document Item 15 and 16. Commission on Aging 2025 Community Service Award — original pdf

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Is this nomination primarily for work performed In a paid/professional role Nominee's Occupation/Affliation Aging Services Council Nominee's Name Alida cautino Nominee's Length of Service in the Aging Community: (Years/Months - Required) 1 In a paid/professional role Community Health Worker Alida Coutino 2 years In a paid/professional role Community Relations/Injury Prevention Austin-Travis County EMS Captain Darren Noak & Clinical Specialist Dan Brown 9 mos In a paid/professional role In a paid/professional role Drive a Senior ATX/Operations Manager Drive a Senior ATX/Operations Manager Charis Fleming 7 years, 10 months Charis Fleming In a paid/professional role Older Individuals who are Blind Services Specialist Irma Pyka 2 years 6 months In a paid/professional role In a paid/professional role Bilingual Digital Literacy Instructor Jasmin Vargas Training and Education Coordinator Jessica Martone 3+ years 5 years In a paid/professional role Senior consultant John Brown 8 How did the nominee go above and beyond for the older adults community? promoting aging education information and helping aging business in the industry She always went above and beyond to find resources for clients, provided caring and empathetic services and communication The Austin-Travis County EMS Community Relations and Injury Prevention Team conducts community outreach and education for the residents of Austin and Travis County. Before the emergence of COVID-19 in 2020, the team consisted of four full-time sworn uniformed staff and a program manager. The Team provided CPR and first aid training, senior home safety fall prevention risk assessments, safety presentations, Safe Baby Academy classes, and a robust Child Passenger Safety Program. However, due to the COVID pandemic and ongoing staffing issues, all uniformed personnel from this valuable team were reassigned to Field Operations in 2020. This staffing void continued for four years until June of 2024 when the Department was able to re-establish the section by adding back two full-time positions to the Injury Prevention team. In June of 2024, the Community Relations and Injury Prevention Team sprang back to life as Captain Darren Noak and Clinical Specialist Dan Brown were assigned as the new Sworn team members and joined the Community Relations and Injury Prevention Manager, Lisa Sepulveda. Darren, Dan, and Lisa hit the ground running. Since then, the team has been working very hard to reinstate many, of the previous programs offered during the former “glory days” of the team. One of the programs offered is our Senior Home Safety Assessments. Elderly falls contribute to a significant amount of both dispatches and transports to the Emergency Room when compared to other traumatic call types and a considerable percentage of these falls occur at home. The Austin-Travis County EMS Injury Prevention team conducts FREE home safety assessments to identify potential risks and hazards for slips, trips and falls in the home environment. Any person who meets the following criteria is eligible for a free home safety assessment: - Residents in the Austin-Travis County Service Area (1,100sq miles in Travis, parts of Williamson, and Hays Counties) - Age 65 or older OR concerned about their home situation -Lives independently (in a home or apartment, not in a nursing home or assisted living facility) -No diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer's Home safety evaluations include the following: -Room-by-room assessment conducted by an ATCEMS paramedic to identify potential risks for slips, trips, and falls -Home hazard mitigation to reduce the risk of injury -Medication review and Vial of Life program kit - Information about FREE programs and services -Information about FREE safety equipment (canes, lockboxes, wheelchairs, smoke detectors) -Discussion/distribution of our lockbox program -Medical ID/fall detection discussion & setup for smartphones and watches -Emergency preparedness and planning guide -Expired/unused medication Charis Fleming has seen lots of change within the Drive a Senior network over the years. This network was started as a community-based volunteer service program through Austin Metropolitan Ministries in response to the increasing number of seniors who were living alone and could no longer drive. In 2020, Drive a Senior West Austin merged with Drive a Senior North Central to form Drive a Senior ATX. Charis has been the Service Coordinator with Drive a Senior ATX since 2017. Her responsibilities include ensuring client’s needs are met, promoting their program and fundraising events, and coordinating client transportation requests. Charis is the longest tenured employee with Drive a Senior ATX and the go-to person for my organization, engAGE Travis County / AmeriCorps Seniors. Charis is committed to serving older adults. When she is unable to locate volunteers to transport clients to their appointments, she will drive them herself. She often spends her personal time to ensure that her clients get to where they need to go. Charis is so committed to service that she offered to transport me from hip replacement surgery in San Marcos to Buda (San Marcos is about an hour south of the Drive a Senior ATX service area.) My organization's grantor requires detailed volunteer outputs and outcomes from partner agencies for annual reporting. Charis has found a way to streamline this process and provide all the details I need each month. I have had requests from grant compliance officers to meet with partner agencies and volunteers. Charis is always happy to coordinate these meeting with her staff and AmeriCorps Senior volunteers who can discuss the impact of their service and partnership with us. Charis will always help demonstrate volunteer commitments, partnership benefits and the importance of our programs. It is my sincere pleasure to nominate Charis Fleming with Drive a Senior ATX for this award as she is truly deserving. In a short amount of time Irma has worked to establish a community for older Austinites with vision loss including partnering with local aging and vision loss services, having an annual gathering for older individuals with vision loss in Austin, and working to ensure that her clients know local resources to help them maintain independence in their home and community. She provides caring support for each of her clients and has helped over a hundred Austinites with vision loss to be independent with services and supports to meet their needs. Jasmin works with seniors at CG senior center and AARC to provide them with access to technology, devices and the literacy to know how to use them. Jasmin is patience, kind, compassionate and passionate about her work. She has helped countless seniors empower themselves in the world of technology. She goes above and beyond for all her clients but especially her senior clients. She deserves recognition for sure! she's always spreading the word and keeping as many resources as possible on-hand Day in and day out is providing options for families and resources within the community spends countless hours working with families to help them figure out the next stage of their life multiple move-in per month that help families live the best years of their life In a paid/professional role Senior Case Manager at Family Eldercare Kendra Peters 34 years and 2 months In a paid/professional role CEO of Mir Care Consultants, Inc Lina Supnet Zapata, MBA, CTxG, CMC 22 years In a paid/professional role Administrator, grant writer, community advocate Megha Uppal 7 years In a paid/professional role Lead Dance Instructor for Power for Parkinson's Nancy Bain 13 years In a paid/professional role Community Engagement Consultant Nirali Thakkar 5 Kendra has been a valuable member of the Family Eldercare team for over 34 years. Kendra is well known for going above and beyond and being a fierce advocate for her older adult clients. Kendra shows up for her clients in many different ways. Whether its driving clients to medical appointments when they lack transportation, or fixing a client's cable box, or arranging a client social outing (to Wrestle Mania!) Kendra gives 110%. Although she didn't have to, she stepped up to work with all the deaf clients in her department. Many note she is the only one who will make it into the office on a snow day. Even her small actions, like ordering a pizza for one client every week, have a big impact. Kendra is a stellar example of what it means to have dedication and empathy and we are grateful she is part of our team! Board of Directors for AGE of Central Texas. Public Campign Chair to raise funding for the South Campus Theivr Centers. Leads a team of professionals providing life care management support for adult children navigating care for elders, special needs and disabilities. Also a guardinaship program. Established in Austin 2013. Winner of Joyce Lauck Legacy Award, Recognized by Aging Life Care Association for efforts in advocating and promoting the profession of Aging Life Care Megha is kind and caring. She listens to our seniors, gives them words of encouragement. She reaches out to those in need, in hospital, in difficult situations. She's very respectful of their privacy. Megha goes above and beyond her call of duty. She's an advocate for our elder members of society. I am truly impressed by Megha Uppal. Nancy has had 40+ years experience teaching dance and movement for people of all ages. In 2012, she connected with myself and co-founder, Susan Stahl to develop Power for Parkinson's. Nancy has been instrumental in assuring our community is strongly engaged, tight-knit, fit and happy. She not only has been teaching twice weekly in-person but also regularly adds to our YouTube channel which is now the leading channel for Parkinson's fitness globally. In addition, to her teaching role, Nancy is committed to all her participants, often calling and visiting them when they are ill or incapacitated. Her classes have a bond among people with Parkinson's, their families and class volunteers that extends well beyond the classroom. She has guided the way for our team to build evergrowing bonds. Her commitment is exceptional and I highly recommend her for this award. Dear Selection Committee, I have had the great privilege of working closely with Nirali Thakkar as she lead the Quality of Life Study on Aging for our organization. Aside for being a wonderful advocate for older adults, I have seen the sincere passion Nirali has placed in building lasting relationship for this project. I have watched her first hand interact with partners and see how they lean into the ways she purposely cares for the older adult population and wants them involved. From my prospective, the two greatest accomplishments I have seen her achieve is crafting a strategy for this project from the ground up by reaching out to over 50 organizations and see how they moved to build a relationship with our project. Outside of that, they all supported her to bringing their participants to join the study, which is a hard feat for any outreach project. With her vision and dedication, we have so far engaged 180 individual older adults in our focus groups. It's been an amazing site to witness and see how it all came together. I have been doing engagement work for 10 years, and have rarely seen anyone like her mobilize for a project. Outside of this, she is proposing a new way to document older adults stories from her own experience of piloting a project she did at the Asian American Resource Center called Photo Voice. We are currently examining how we can gathering resources to implement this method of meeting older adults where they are at and making sure they are seen as part of the Austin fabric. I can't say enough about my experience in working with Nirali and witnessing what she has done. Personally, she loves working with older adults and I see it every day. Nirali is extremely knowledgeable about older adult issues and I am in awe of the level of expertise we are so fortunate to have on our team. I can not think of a better person receiving this recognition and know others in the community who have met her would say the same. I sincerely hope you will consider Nirali Thakkar for this special recognition. Thank you! Laura Cortez Rita DeBellis is a registered nurse who works in Foundation Communities' supportive housing communities for single adults. In 2024, Rita provided medical case management, coordination of care, and services to 141 unique individuals (all 55 and over), providing 1,109 case management sessions. Rita has helped residents reconnect to medical care after long absences, aided residents in connecting to specialty care, including home health and hospice services. Rita has a special focus on helping older adults to age in place in their homes - setting up supports including durable medical equipment, modifications of the unit, in-home care, and social connectivity. Rita has also helped many older adults die with dignity - helping them to complete advanced directives, medical powers of attorney, and referrals to hospice or palliative care as appropriate. Rita is a key member of older adults' support network, and her clients have referred to her in feedback surveys as "a life saver," "mi angel" and "the one person who I know truly cares for me". In a paid/professional role In a paid/professional role In a paid/professional role Nurse Hospice and Palliative Care Liaison Director of Community Impact and Aging Programs at Ballet Austin Rita DeBellis 17 Tomas Concepcion Montaño 4 years He is carrying for the older adults and compassionate towards what they are going through. He is patient and loving. Vicki Parsons 45 years Vicki has been an advocate for the aging population, speaking on wellness and aging, leading conferences, teaching in Senior Centers and Long-term Care homes, teaching free classes both virtually and on-site at Ballet Austin, encouraging older adults, creating videos for older adults to work out at home, inspiring mental and physical health, etc. In a paid/professional role In a paid/professional role In a paid/professional role Director of Community Impact and Aging Programs at Ballet Austin Director of Community Impact and Aging Program at Ballet Austin Instructor Vicki Parsons 45 years Vicki Parsons Vickie parsons 45 years Many I have participated in classes offered by Ballet Austin's Active Aging Program for several years. Vicki Parsons leads two 45 minute free classes a week for persons over 50 years of age. People are participating in the studio, and on a live zoom. I've been surprised at how this feels like a community to me now. I have invited friends to join me on the zoom. I see three of them there regularly. This service is provided by a grant from the St. David's Foundation. Vicki also conducts balance workshops offered at a discounted price for persons over fifty. I've participated in other exercise programs over the span of my 75 year life-span. Vicki Parsons is right up there with the best motivational teachers that I have ever had the pleasure to work with. She keeps it real, and encourages her students by including more than just physical workouts in her classes. She is forgiving and steadily encourages all to pace themselves. This year I have admired her continued participation despite a troubled left shoulder. She is modeling adapting to an injury while carefully continuing to stay active. As you can see by now, I am a big fan of Vicki. She is a positive role model for me and a lot of other folks here in Austin and beyond. She does all of this for older adults while being the director of the Butler Center at Ballet Austin, and does outreach to retirement centers too. The woman really deserves any honor we can give her. Vicki is a strong advocate for keeping the aging population active and healthy. Her in-person and online exercise classes as well as her “Balance Workshops” have been outstanding. Many of the classes she runs at Ballet Austin are free. She is inspirational as she helps us feel healthier, stronger and happier. Her commitment to engaging and helping older adults stay strong is wondrous! Teaching Is this nomination primarily for work performed Nominee's Name Nominee's Length of Service in the Aging Community: (Years/Months - Required) How did the nominee go above and beyond for the older adults community? As a volunteer/advocate Bruce MacKenzie At least 15 years with my program; he volunteers for other nonprofits, too, so it may be longer As a volunteer/advocate Jill Hansen- Cramer 3 years As a volunteer/advocate Nina Mosier 11 years As a volunteer/advocate Patricia Calhoun 10 years As a volunteer/advocate Roen Salinas 2 years As a volunteer/advocate Ron L Schneider 17 years As a volunteer/advocate Salvador Anzures 14 years Bruce has been volunteering for the phone-based/virtual activities program for older adults that I manage at Family Eldercare called Lifetime Connections Without Walls for 15 years since the program started. He facilitates a session called Armchair Traveling in which he shares his travels with our older adult participants over the phone/video. He's been faithfully doing this for more than 15 years since LCWW started in 2009. His session is our most popular session with participants, some of which have been attending his session for years. Bruce also calls his participants to remind them about his session, something only he does (our other volunteers don't do this). Bruce also volunteers for other nonprofit organizations in the community. He helps older adults file their taxes along other things. (I'm not entirely sure on the details, but he has shared this with me.) Bruce is loyal, dependable and truly has made a difference in the lives of older adults in the community with his sessions. My program's participants report feeling less lonely and more socially connected by attending his sessions. He is a dream volunteer! Jill routinely drives client Randy Solis to doctor's appointments and personal errands far beyond her capacity as a meal delivery volunteer for Meals on Wheels Central Texas. Randy has repeatedly expressed gratitude for the level of care that Jill has provided, which exemplifies the ethos of "more than a meal". Nina began the organization 11 years ago; organized volunteers, provided educational information, exercises to keep the community flexible. Patricia Calhoun is a native of Austin, TX. She also is a past board member of AustinUP where she worked to promote and support Austin as an age-friendly city. Even though AustinUP is no longer operating, she has continued her work in the nonprofit space in support of her church, Ebenezer Baptist Church; The Children’s Haven Association, a nonprofit that she helped create; as well as for Preservation Austin, Delta Sigma Theta Service Sorority, and the Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross Neighborhood Association. I’d like to highlight her work to support The Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross Neighborhood. After a large community effort, for which Pat played a key role, the City of Austin designated this East Austin neighborhood as one of its historic districts. See https://www.eastsideatx.com/the-rogers- washington-holy-cross-neighborhood/. Pat hosted many meetings over coffee in her home and brought people together in support of this vital neighborhood – her neighborhood where she grew up. Pat’s hard work and positive spirit are an asset to our community. I am proud to nominate her for this community service award. Roen has made a significant impact on our Ballet Folkorico group. It's amazing how a program that started with uncertainty can blossom into something so beloved and impactful to our participants. His leadership has brought a unique energy to the group, especially considering how much it's resonated with the community. The fact that it's becoming a culture- enhancing program for our participants is really special. Ron routinely provides financial assistance and drives clients to errands and doctor appointments, free of charge and without asking for recompense, far above and beyond his volunteer duties as a meal delivery driver and meal manager for Meals on Wheels Central Texas. His dedication to maintaining our older adult neighbors' financial, physical, and psychological well-being exemplifies the ethos of providing "More than a Meal". While delivering meals to Client Jerrold Goodman, he found the front door jamb had rotted away to unusability. On his own initiative and at his own cost, he replaced and repaired the client's front door and also offered to install new roof gutters, providing an added measure of comfort and safety to our client that exemplifies the ethos of delivering "More than a Meal". I am writing to nominate Samrity Dhawan for the Volunteer Service Award. Her unwavering dedication and selfless contributions to SAIVA have made a remarkable impact on the South Asian International community. Samrity goes well above and beyond the means to ensure that each and every member of the organization is getting tangible benefits from the SAIVA organization. Samrity has been instrumental in launching initiatives like SAIVA’s culturally competent caregiving programs and the monthly gatherings for older adults in helping. She is a solid and reliable trustworthy anchor for our organization and south Asian community. Samrity’s friendship, comradery, willingness to help/assist and giving time and energy to the members who just need a listening ear has made a significant impact in their personal lives. Her leadership in developing better process management and willingness to learn herself demonstrates her proactive approach to ensuring older adults have accessible, reliable mobility options, promoting autonomy and reducing social barriers. By championing intergenerational programs like tutoring partnerships and community storytelling, Samrity fosters connection and learning opportunities that build lasting relationships. Samrity goes above and beyond, offering not just physical assistance, but emotional and social support as well. Here are a few examples of how Samrity has provided support that goes above and beyond: 1.Providing Emotional Support: Samrity spends extra time engaging in meaningful conversations and sitting with seniors to reduce loneliness. She even sets up regular check-ins, offering emotional stability and a sense of companionship. 2.Assisting with Transportation: Samrity goes out of their way to provide transportation to medical appointments, social events, or even just grocery shopping, that helps seniors maintain independence and quality of life. 3.Organizing Special Events: Samrity along with SAIVA takes the initiative to organize community events, such as holiday parties, exercise classes, and educational workshops, that create an opportunity for seniors to stay socially engaged and mentally stimulated. 4.Tech Assistance: In today’s digital world, many seniors may feel disconnected or struggle to use technology. Volunteers who teach seniors how to use smartphones, video calling, or even social media can help bridge the digital divide, allowing them to stay connected with family and friends The nominee has demonstrated extraordinary dedication to the well-being of older adults in our community through their leadership as the Walk to End Alzheimer’s Chair and Alzheimer's Community Educator. Their unwavering commitment to raising awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support, and research has made a significant impact, exemplifying true service and advocacy. Last year, they went above and beyond by spearheading fundraising efforts. His walk team alone raised over $50,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association . This remarkable achievement not only supports individuals living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers but also contributes to advancing research and resources that enhance the quality of life for older adults. Their leadership has inspired countless community members to take action, fostering a stronger, more compassionate network of support for those affected by dementia. Beyond fundraising, the nominee has been a champion for bringing Alzheimer’s education and resources into corporate settings, recognizing the significant number of employees who are also caregivers. By working with companies to raise awareness, provide support, and connect working caregivers with vital resources, they have helped create more inclusive and supportive workplace environments. Their efforts ensure that businesses understand the challenges employees face when caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s and empower them with tools to navigate this journey. Through their tireless efforts, passion, and commitment, the nominee has played a crucial role in elevating awareness of Alzheimer’s disease, supporting caregivers in both their professional and personal lives, and ensuring that older adults in our community receive the care and resources they deserve. spending time & going above & beyond for his patients and their family members. Tomas has worked closely to advocate for families and patients to receive the benefit of end of life care and has been a resource in the community from senior centers to the alzheimer’s association with volunteer work and more. Free classes for all, even virtual As a volunteer/advocate Samrity Dhawan 7 years As a volunteer/advocate As a volunteer/advocate Tom Blair Tomas Montano 4 yrs 0 mon 4 As a volunteer/advocate As a volunteer/advocate Tomas Montano 4 years Vicki Parsons Don’t know As a volunteer/advocate Vicki Parsons 45 years She’s an amazing advocate for the active aging community. Her fitness classes provide a great sense of community and make me feel supported while navigating this whole getting older thing! Having a class to attend (in my case virtually) twice a week keeps me engaged and on top of my weight training goals after receiving an osteopenia diagnosis. I couldn’t do it without her, she’s the best!