NYCEM Presents the 2024 Older Adults Center Of The Year Award

Emergency Management


Press Release


#08-24

NYC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PRESENTS THE READY NEW YORK OLDER ADULT CENTER OF THE YEAR AWARD TO ACTION FOR THE RETIRED COMMUNITY (ARC) A. PHILIP RANDOLPH OLDER ADULT CENTER IN MANHATTAN

Empowering Older Adults in Readiness: A. Philip Randolph Center Shines as 'Ready New York Older Adult Center of the Year'

January 30, 2024 – New York City Emergency Management and the New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA) presented Action for the Retired Community (ARC) A. Philip Randolph Older Adult Center with the Ready New York Older Adult Center of the Year Award during a ceremony on Tuesday, January 30. The 11th annual award recognizes an older adult center in the five boroughs that have made an ongoing commitment to preparing older adults for emergencies. The award ceremony included remarks from NYCEM Commissioner Zach Iscol, and DFTA Commissioner Lorraine A. Cortés-Vázquez, distribution of readiness kits, and cake. The center held a Go Bag competition judged by DFTA Commissioner Cortés-Vázquez to display the older adults’ knowledge in emergency preparedness.

ARC A. Philip Randolph Older Adult Center, located in Manhattan, received the award for their excellence in preparing their community for emergencies. ARC A. Philip Randolph Older Adult provides many critical services to neighborhood residents, including computer literacy training, exercise and Zumba classes, and games and recreation pods. More of their outstanding programs and activities included ongoing emergency preparedness classes, crime prevention classes from their local police precinct, and regular visits from the local firehouse and scheduled fire drills. The center is also an official New York City Cooling Center, meaning when the city is experiencing extreme heat, older adults can seek refuge at the facility to ‘beat the heat.’

“We are thrilled to honor the ARC A. Philip Randolph Older Adult Center. Older adult centers are pivotal in providing an array of programs and services to their communities,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol. “We were extremely impressed with the center’s continuous effort in conducting emergency preparedness classes and being an official New York City Cooling Center. Thanks to the center’s dedication to emergency preparedness, we know older adults in this community are better prepared. Beyond its exemplary commitment, this center truly shines as a vibrant oasis in the uptown Manhattan and Harlem community, standing as a testament to its vital role in fostering support, engagement, and community spirit among its residents.”

“More frequent extreme weather conditions are making emergency preparedness, especially for older adults, all the more important, and NYC Aging’s partnership with the Office of Emergency Management is helping to ensure some of our most vulnerable residents remain safe. It is a pleasure to continue recognizing the older adult centers that have become examples to others across the city, emphasizing the importance of being prepared for natural disasters and extreme weather events, letting residents know what resources are available to help them when they occur,” said Department for the Aging Commissioner Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez. “Congratulations to the entire team at the ARC A. Philip Randolph for being recognized this year, and what you do all year round to keep older Harlemites safe.”

“We are honored and must thank, NYC Emergency Management and NYC Dept. for the Aging for this award, but we must also thank all ARC’s staff and of course our members that make this possible and make our Older Adult Center their second home,” said ARC A. Philip Randolph Site Director Richard Allman.

About ARC A. Philip Randolph Older Adult Center

Action for the Retired Community’s (ARC) mission is to support older adults so that they remain in the community and live with dignity, self-sufficiency, and a sense of well-being. ARC A. Philip Randolph Older Adult Center is under the ARC XVI Fort Washington, Inc. umbrella which is a not-for profit, neighborhood-based, multi-service organization for upper Manhattan older adults. In 2016 A. Philip Randolph Older Adult Center became one of three ARC older adult centers in the upper Manhattan area.

About the Ready New York program

The Ready New York program outlines three important strategies to preparing for emergencies:

Get Ready: Make a Plan – Have at least two emergency contacts – one local and one out-of-area – who you can call in an emergency. Practice your plan with everyone in your home.

·Gt Set: Prepare a Stay-at-Home Kit – During emergencies that require you to stay at home, it is important to have extra food and water for everyone in the house and a battery-operated radio for news updates.

Get Ready to Go: Pack a Go Bag – During emergencies that require you to leave your home, have a Go Bag with emergency supplies.

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