SilverSource Raises Funds for Older Adults

More than 200 attendees gathered for the SilverSource Inspiring Lives Benefit Luncheon at Serafina at the IC in Stamford on November 7. The annual event was a significant success, exceeding its fundraising goals and engaging the lower Fairfield County community in its work to provide a safety net to older adults in need. With a focus on ‘Home and Heat,’ critical funds were raised for older adults living in poverty, ensuring that struggling seniors will maintain a roof over their heads, with the heat and lights on, this winter.

New Yorker cartoonist and author Roz Chast was the keynote speaker, sharing hilarious and poignant insights into caring for her aging parents, as captured in her graphic memoir, Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? With sensitivity and wit, Chast told stories of her parents’ interdependence and resistance to change. She recalled the difficult decision to move them into an assisted living facility, the extraordinary experience of removing a lifetime of accumulated items from her childhood home, and shared touching, intimate sketches of her mother’s final days.

“We are grateful to Roz Chast for exploring the many sides of caring for loved ones,” said Kathleen Bordelon, Executive Director of SilverSource. “This event demonstrated the importance of having those meaningful discussions. As a resource for older adults and families, SilverSource is here to help people navigate difficult choices with sensitivity and informed decision-making.”

The event also honored the winners of the 2018 SilverSource Awards, including the Lifetime Learners Institute, the Senior Men’s Association of Stamford and Donald J. Case DMD. Each was recognized for their exceptional contribution to bettering the lives of Fairfield County’s older residents. Gene Rubino, founder of Plaza Realty & Management Corporation and honorary event chair, received a Community Leadership Award.

SilverSource is grateful to its generous sponsors including Cacace Tusch Santagata Attorneys at Law, KAF Manufacturing Co., Plaza Realty & Management Corporation, The Residence at Summer Street, First County Bank, Mezzapelle & Associates, Shoprite Grade A, FD Rich Company, Stamford Health, and media sponsor Stamford Magazine/Moffly Media, and in-kind sponsors, green & tonic, Home Depot and Leary’s Liquor Cabinet. We are also deeply grateful to Mark Lapine, co-founder and Board Chair of Lapine, Inc., who led a lively and successful ‘Paddle Raise’ fundraiser, and the dedicated SilverSource event committee led by co-chairs Adele Gordon and Polly Rauh.

SilverSource, founded in 1908, provides a safety net for older adults through individual assistance, case management, guidance and other direct services to improve the safety, health and quality of life for older residents of lower Fairfield County CT. In addition, SilverSource is an information resource center and referral source for older adults and their families. SilverSource, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is located at 2009 Summer Street in Stamford, CT 06905. For more information visit www.silversource.org or call 203.324.6584.