The New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) this week honored 100 older adults for their extraordinary volunteerism as part of NYSOFA's annual Older New Yorkers' Day celebration, which took place May 27 in Albany, during Older Americans Month. New York's 59 county and municipal offices for the aging and their partners nominate older adults who have made their communities stronger, vibrant, and welcoming, through their remarkable volunteer and civic contributions.
The theme of Older Americans Month 2025 is “Flip the Script on Aging” to focus on transforming how society perceives, talks about, and approaches aging. It encourages individuals and communities to challenge stereotypes and dispel misconceptions.
NYSOFA Director Greg Olsen said, “Every year it’s an absolute privilege to recognize older New Yorkers who have made their communities a better place through their tireless dedication to serving others. Older adults make a positive impact on every community across our state through their knowledge, economic capital and civic engagement. NYSOFA is honored to highlight their contributions. I also applaud our 59 county offices for the aging and the Association on Aging in New York for providing and advancing vital services to older adults across the state every day.”
Looking at the positive impact of NYSOFA’s honorees, and the nearly 1 million other older volunteers helping communities across New York, it’s clear to see older adults are vital to strengthening communities and local, regional, state and national economies. In fact, older adult volunteers in New York contribute 474 million hours of community service at an economic value of $13.2 billion.
The honorees are recognized for their support of charitable causes, their work with local health care and human services organizations, grassroots civic contributions, volunteer work with emergency management corps, local fundraising activities, and so much more. Awardees also include volunteers for two statewide NYSOFA-administered programs: The Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance Program (or HIICAP) and the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program. These volunteers assume specialized roles that demand many hours of training, intricate problem-solving, and coordination with local organizations to help older adults.
This year’s honorees have collectively volunteered more than 3,000 years of service, raised 243 children, 420 grandchildren, 122 great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. Fifteen are veterans.
Please read the program book here to find awardees from your region.
Senator and Aging Committee Chair Cordell Cleare said, “As Chair of the Senate Aging Committee, I am elated to join with NYSOFA in recognizing and celebrating Older New Yorkers’ Day. Events like this, which place our older New Yorkers front and center, remind us of the cumulative impact of our elders, who are beacons of wisdom, inspiration, volunteerism and community-building. I congratulate all of the day's honorees for their essential contributions to the Empire State.”
Assembly Member Rebecca A. Seawright, Chair of the Assembly Aging Committee, said, “I salute all the honorees from across our great state who have devoted so much of their time and talents toward uplifting the health, wellbeing, and quality of life of older New Yorkers. Whether they live in the North Country, the tip of Long Island, or New York City, older adults enrich all facets of community life. I will never stop fighting – alongside my colleagues, community advocates and volunteers – to give them the affordable and equitable New York State that they deserve, that they have earned.”
Association on Aging in New York (AgingNY) Executive Director Rebecca Preve said, “The Association on Aging in New York is thrilled to join the New York State Office for the Aging in celebrating the enormous volunteer contributions and impacts of older New Yorkers. Volunteers are paramount in supporting local communities and positively impact the lives of those served. We applaud all of the awardees and look forward to thanking all volunteers for their continued commitment of service to others.”
Governor’s Exemplary Volunteer Service Award
During the ceremony, NYSOFA and state officials presented the 2025 Governor's Exemplary Volunteer Service Award to Jim Isenberg of Westchester County. The awardee is chosen for special distinction from among all 100 nominations by local offices for the aging and community partners.
Isenberg is co-founder of Grandpas United of White Plains, an innovative intergenerational youth-mentoring program in which grandfathers help guide youth toward their goals. Through his leadership, Isenberg has played a vital role in establishing Grandpas United programs in several other cities in New York State. The White Plains program also serves a mentorship and counselor role in the Youth Court program, helping over 100 youth in two years with a 100 percent success rate.
State Support for Age-Friendly Communities
New York State has a long history of championing older adults and fostering age-friendly community development, programs, and policies that create an environment which supports the contributions of older New Yorkers. Older New Yorkers’ Day follows on the heels of an historic state budget for older adults. Under the leadership of Governor Kathy Hochul, the budget adds $45 million through NYSOFA to support locally determined needs for community-based aging services across the state. This brings total funding to $68 million in Fiscal Year 2026, up from $33 million last year, for a total of $200 million invested for this purpose since 2019. The budget also advances affordability measures that deliver for older New Yorkers and families across state agencies and services, including a first-ever inflation refund program, middle-class tax cuts, expansion of the child tax credit for older adults raising grandchildren, Medicaid investments to strengthen the health care safety net, $1.5 billion in investments to increase housing supply, consumer protections, and so much more.
To bolster New York’s achievements as an Age-Friendly State, in 2022, New York State embarked on a State Master Plan for Aging (MPA). The MPA process seeks to identity opportunities to ensure that older adults and individuals of all ages can live healthy, fulfilling lives while aging with dignity and independence. This effort builds on decades of work and partnerships with state agencies, local governments, and stakeholders to achieve results for older New Yorkers and all residents.
Background About Older New Yorkers’ Day
Each year, since 1963, federal, state and local governments recognize Older Americans Month in May. New York State goes a step further, by holding a special observance of Older New Yorkers’ Day by collecting nominations of exceptional older adults from county-based offices for the aging.
About the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA)
The New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) continuously works to help the state’s 4.8 million older adults be as independent as possible for as long as possible through advocacy, development and delivery of person-centered, consumer-oriented, and cost-effective policies, programs, and services that support and empower older adults and their families, in partnership with the network of public and private organizations that serve them. Stay connected—visit the NYSOFA Facebook page, follow @NYSAGING on X, or visit aging.ny.gov.
