Westchester Centenarian Honored For Volunteer Service

TARRYTOWN, NY — A Westchester woman who has spent almost 30 years volunteering in the county was honored recently for her service. Celeste Vazzana, 101, of Scarsdale first began volunteering at the White Plains Hospital Gift Shop in 1989 and has since volunteered over 6,600 hours of service. She was honored for her service as a Senior Corps member, at the annual RSVP of Westchester Spring Recognition event, which took place at Half Moon in Dobbs Ferry, with more than 70 fellow RSVP volunteers and guests.

“All people are alike, whether they know it or not. We should treat everybody the way you want to be treated,” said RSVP of Westchester member Celeste Vazzana, just days after her 101st birthday when asked about her message to other volunteers. “Just take every day as it comes and make the best of it. That’s all you can do.”

Vazzana has lived a long full life, full of ups and downs, but has persisted and made the best of it for her family in light of any obstacles she faced, according to a spokesperson. She was married for 30 years before her husband passed away in 1967. On her own with five young daughters, she went back to work full time at the New York Telephone Company so that her daughters could all finish or attend college. And after almost 30 years of local service, Vazzana has come to embody the motto that “Senior Corps members get things done.”

According to Charles Martinez, manager of the White Plains Hospital Gift Shop, where she has volunteered since 1989, “Celeste often gets here at 8:30 in the morning, an hour before we open, and is waiting for us. She is very organized and always has her day planned.”

“Celeste is an amazing example of what it means to be in the Senior Corps here in Westchester,” said RSVP of Westchester Director, Rosie Samudio. “I’m proud to have gotten to know her and see the impact she continues to make in our community.”

RSVP of Westchester is a free program of Volunteer New York! for adults aged 55 years and older, which makes living a healthy, ongoing volunteering lifestyle easy for retirees and everyone over age 55. RSVP of Westchester volunteers give their time supporting their community through strategic focus areas, such as: education, economic opportunity, healthy futures and veterans.

To find out more about RSVP of Westchester, please visit volunteernewyork.org/adults or call 914-948-4452.

Photo caption: From left, Abbe Stein, RSVP of Westchester advisory chairwoman; Jeanette Gisbert, deputy executive director, Volunteer New York!; Celeste Vazzana; daughter Barbara Vazzana; Rosie Samudio, director, RSVP of Westchester. Photo credit: Submitted.