Oct. 18 Gala to Honor Community Leader for Her Service to Seniors

If a community is defined by the people and places within it, then community service should be measured by how well each serves the other.

Bright Side Manor, a non-profit assisted living residence in Teaneck, has provided decades of service to vulnerable, low-income older adults in the region.

Jacqueline Kates, a former Teaneck mayor, has provided decades of service to government, schools, religious groups and worthy causes such as Bright Side Manor.

An Oct. 18 fall gala will offer local leaders and residents a chance to say “thank you” to both of these pillars of community service.

The event to be held from 6 to 9 pm at The Palisadium in Cliffside Park will feature dinner, music and tributes to Kates, who also has served on the Teaneck council, school board, and in a variety of civic roles. Her most recent is project coordinator of Age-Friendly Teaneck, a community initiative to help older adults age in place.

Senior Housing Services, Inc., the non-profit that operates Bright Side, is honoring Kates not just because of her laudable resume but also because of her intuitive understanding of the role a community should play in helping older residents.

“Jackie really gets it,” Davis said. “She has understood from our very early days why a place like Bright Side is needed and why the community should support it.”

Bright Side Manor has provided supportive housing in Teaneck for more than a century, opening first as a local home for invalids in the early 1900s. It was on the verge of shutting its doors in 1990, when the non-profit’s founders purchased it and converted it into a licensed assisted living residence. It now houses 65 older adults and is the only assisted living residence in Bergen County that accepts direct admissions of seniors on Medicaid.

All proceeds of the Oct. 18 gala will benefit Bright Side, which is seeking to respond to current needs by building a two-story addition with private rooms and more space for activities and on-site care services.

"Bright Side has always had a home-like atmosphere, but its residents also deserve less-cramped spaces for dining, recreating and meeting with their caregivers and families," Kates said. "The community's support is needed to make sure Bright Side can modernize while also remaining affordable in a county where assisted living rates are priced out of reach for many older adults."

To purchase tickets or donate in other ways, please call 201-692-1000, visit www.seniorhousingservices.org, or click here