Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino congratulated Commissioner Mae Carpenter of the county’s Department of Senior Programs and Services for being named recipient of the 2014 Women’s Hall of Fame Award from the Women’s Research and Education Fund (WREF) on March 28.
“What would we do without Mae?” Astorino asked at WREF’s scholarship and awards luncheon at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Tarrytown. “For 35 years, Mae Carpenter has worked tirelessly for Westchester seniors, and I thank her for her vision and dedication.”
Astorino specifically cited Carpenter for founding and spearheading the Livable Communities Initiative, which aims to create senior-friendly communities that enable older adults to live in their homes as they age.
AARP recognized the excellence of the initiative in 2012, when it named Westchester County as one of the first seven counties or cities in the United States to its Network of Age-Friendly Communities.
“We would not have won that award without Mae Carpenter’s leadership,” Astorino said.
Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore presented Carpenter with the Women’s Hall of Fame Award, a gold medallion necklace.
As always, Carpenter attributed her success to the people who carry out her plans – her staff at DSPS, the Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Services, and the Aging Network, which includes the people, agencies and organizations in all sectors who are dedicated to the mission of working with older adults in their jobs or as volunteers.
Carpenter also spoke about her plans for her department’s one and one-half day conference on June 26 and June 27 at the Marriott in Tarrytown. On June 26, DSPS’ innovative new program, Telehealth Intervention Program for Seniors (TIPS), will be unveiled. The program uses technology to remotely monitor seniors’ vital signs such as blood pressure and pulse. On June 27, the theme will be, “My Family’s Successful Aging Plan.”
“We have to be ready to meet the challenges that each stage of our lives present,” she said.
In addition, 32 young women at the event received scholarships of between $2,000 and $5,000 to advance their education from WREF sponsors. The young women included those from underserved communities, domestic violence survivors and veterans.
Sponsors included the Lanza Family Foundation; the Stock Family, LLC; Visiting Nurse Services of Westchester, Inc.; and the College of New Rochelle.
Camille Murphy is executive director of WREF, which was founded in 1989 to promote equality and justice for Westchester’s women through training, advocacy and recognition of their achievements.
WREF presented its Not-for-Profit Leadership award at the luncheon to El Centro Hispano, a social services organization. Avon Corp received the organization’s Corporate Leadership Award because of its support of educational scholarships, its commitment to stop domestic violence, and its efforts to raise money to fight breast cancer.