Best Practices

photo credit Young At Heart Chorus

Purple Haze, Forever Young, Road to Nowhere; The Clash, Prince, and Sonic Youth—these are just some of the titles and artists whose work is performed by the world renowned Young At Heart Chorus, with  members ranging in age from 73 to 89. The Chorus was founded in 1982 by Bob Cilman and Judith Sharpe, evolving from a daily song session with residents of a housing project for the elderly, The Walter Salvo House, in Northampton. Cilman says that he and the staff wanted to provide something more than food for residents. One day a resident announced that she could play the piano and the song sessions were born.

Today, Young At Heart has become an indie, pop, and classic rock chorus.  A singing sensation, the chorus performs at such venues as concert halls, theatres, elementary schools, and prisons. The original chorus members included World War I and II survivors, old vaudeville singers, and even a centenarian who circled around Sharpe’s piano to sing classic numbers. After the Chorus performed for several years on small stages, on one night in 1986 everything changed: 84 year-old “Diamond” Lillian Aubrey performed a version of Manfred Mann’s “Do Wah Diddy” that brought the house down. Cilman realized there was potential to transform the singing group into something truly special.

photo credit Tri City Elder Coalition

Pathways to Positive Aging (PPA) enriches the lives of seniors in the ethnically-diverse Tri-City Area (the cities of Fremont, Newark, and Union City) of Northern California. A partnership between the Tri-City Elder Coalition (TCEC) and the City of Fremont Human Services Department, Pathways to Positive Aging seeks to improve the quality of life for seniors through political advocacy and by leveraging existing resources to develop programs in transportation, community engagement, and health and wellness for older adults.

Pathways to Positive Aging is an advocacy and community-development partnership, created in 2004 with a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Community Partnerships for Older Adults, to create and implement a strategic plan for older adults in the Tri-City Area. PPA is building a community that integrates seniors into the social and cultural dialogue and provides them with readily-accessible, culturally-sensitive, affordable, and effective services. PPA focuses on the availability and effective coordination of health and wellness for older adults. For example, through a partnership with the City of Fremont, PPA established the Senior Help Line, which provides Tri-City seniors and their families with a single resource enabling them to connect to local health, legal, and social services.

photo credit Cheyenne Botanic Gardens

“The process of working in the Garden has a therapeutic effect: as the plants grow, so does the self-esteem of the older adult volunteers.”—Director, Cheyenne Botanic Gardens

The Cheyenne Botanic Gardens are unique not only for their use of solar and wind energy to enhance sustainability, but also because of their workforce, in which many volunteers are older adults, individuals with disabilities, and at-risk youth. According to Gardens staff, 90 percent of the physical labor is done by volunteers. The Gardens are an invaluable resource to the Cheyenne community, offering all the attractions of a beautiful environment, as well as occasions for structured, meaningful, and healthful activity for members of the community. 

Investors in America Award
 

Janet W. Thompson is honored for her expertise in community development, engagement, and reinvestment in nonprofit and financial management. As Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, community consultant to Morgan Stanley, and former Corporate Directorof Community Reinvestment at Citibank, her spirit and leadership has propelled public and private community engagement for more than 35 years.

Founders Award for Civic Leadership 
 

James O. Gibson is honored for his leading advocacy in urban revitalization, community development, and race relations. His demonstrated commitment to social equity for more than three decades on issues ranging from civil rights to economic opportunity has provided critical progress for our country’s social fabric.

Lifetime Achievement Award 
 

Tersh Boasberg is honored for his revolutionary advocacy of historic preservation, land use, and environmental law, and as founder of Preservation Action, a national grassroots lobby. His active leadership in Washington, D.C. zoning battles has provided regional growth through the protection of historical beauty for our future.

Quarter Century of Service Award 

Arts Extension Service, at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, is honored for their groundbreaking work as a leading arts service organization that bridges research and practice by providing education, training, research, and professional development opportunities to state and local arts agencies, arts managers, and artists. Their influential work has laid the groundwork that established local cultural councils throughout Massachusetts, launched the New England Film Festival, and developed a diversity of publications and programs. These include the nation’s only online Bachelor’s Degree in Arts Administration, a Peer Advising Network that transforms community arts leaders into peer consultants, and Artist-in- Business trainings that balances skill-building with creating community for the arts.