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LGC's 10th ANNIVERSARY
Leading Our Communities In Better Caring For Seniors
LGC's Board of Directors
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Mario E. Tapia, President & CEO
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During the year 2001 the Latino Gerontological Center (LGC) celebrated its 10th Anniversary.
From the very start, our organization’s purpose has been to advocate for improving the quality of life of the Hispanic elderly.
With current and projected demographic data indicating unprecedented growth in this population, our mission has become
more important and relevant than ever.
Looking back, we feel proud of the achievements borne out of our hard work.
Our projects run the gamut, from the organizing and implementing of national and international conferences to the coordination
of community seminars.
Some of our highlights from the past decade include:
- The First Regional Conference on the Latino Elderly held in Hartford, CT in 1992.
This was an important series of meetings that brought together health-care providers, policymakers, and academicians
from the Northeast to discuss topics of pressing concern for the Latino elderly and to formulate responses and a plan of action.
- The First Inter American Conference on Gerontology held in Viña del Mar, Chile in 1994.
The first conference of its kind, it shed light on the issues facing the elderly in Latin America. The Chilean government and the
United Nations Office on Aging actively endorsed this event. LGC is greatly proud that in the wake of this conference several
countries opened government offices to deal with the needs of seniors.
- The 1995 National Conference on the Latino Elderly, which was held in the cities of Orlando, San Antonio,
Chicago, and New York. These meetings led to the formulation of the National Elderly Latino Agenda, which was
presented to the 1995 White House Conference on Aging.
- Provision of Thanksgiving Day Meals to more than 10,000 seniors in various locales (Florida, New York,
Washington, D.C., New Jersey, Texas, Massachusetts, and Virginia). Established in 1992, this traditional activity is underwritten
by various corporations and is targeted to Latino seniors who are without families.
- The LGC Media Advocacy Initiative, which we estimate, has informed 60 million persons on matters concerning Latino
elderly through electronic and print media.
- The “LGC Golden Age Awards”, held annually in New York City since 1993. This activity honors outstanding organizations
and individuals that have made significant contributions to improving the lives of seniors.
- The establishment of our Center’s web-site, www.gerolatino.org which offers information on our organization, news
updates, and issue-driven polls relating to seniors. The site has received over 3,000 hits in the past year, and averages
more than 10 hits per day.
- Our series of Community Education Seminars, which have directly addressed seniors on various topics of their concern
(Alzheimer’s Disease, Osteoporosis, elderly abuse, etc.).
- The Second Inter American Conference on Gerontology entitled, “Hunger and Aging: A Looming Dual Challenge”,
which is currently under way. This is a series of hemispheric conferences focusing on nutritional issues related to aging in the
Americas. The sites for this activity are Mexico, Costa Rica, and Argentina, with wrap-up sessions in Puerto Rico on
April 25-27, 2001.
The scope and quality of these accomplishments are indicative of the LGC’s far-reaching and valuable work in the
community. Our projects have touched many segments of society in meaningful ways, by providing a forum for discussion
and action. This has garnered respect in our capacity to gather and communicate information, and to actively promote our
cause to the public and policymakers alike. All of this has served to elevate the Latino elderly agenda within our society’s
priorities.
It is important to state that none of these accomplishments would have been possible without the invaluable assistance
that the LGC has received from our supporters throughout the years. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those
who have added in significant ways to our efforts. This list includes our Board of Directors, Board of Advisors and our Elderly
Council.
We would also like to thank our underwriters and sponsors, volunteers, consultants, employees, and the many senior
centers and programs for the elderly that have collaborated with us. Special thanks to all the media sources who have been
very generous, and have always maintained an open door policy for the LGC’s important work.
Additionally, we would like to show our appreciation to the many seniors that we have come in contact with throughout
this past decade.
It is for them that our organization exists, and their lives and past contributions provide an inspiration for all of us to work
harder to realize our goals.
New York, January 16, 2002
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