President’s Message – Spring 2019

President’s Message – Jan-Mar 2019

Angie Blackley
President

A DREAM written down with a date becomes a GOAL A goal broken down into steps becomes a PLAN.  A plan backed by ACTION becomes REALITY.  This is what I see when I think of the Network in Aging.

For the members who don’t quite know who I am I would like to introduce myself as the new President of the Network in Aging.

For the past 30 years I have worked in the field of aging in some capacity or another making this my field of expertise. Advocating for nearly seventeen years on both a state and national level I worked alongside many organizations dedicated to the goal of improving and keeping services in place for our elderly. I served as a delegate on the 2005 White House Conference on Aging representing Congressman Thomas Reynolds Western New York district. As delegates we were influential in developing new changes that would impact our nation’s elderly. This was my most moving experience.

Joining the Network in Aging and serving on the Board of Directors back in 2011 gave me a whole new perspective to what this organization is all about.  I got my feet wet by joining the Education Committee, soon after I was asked to co-chair. When asked to serve as Secretary of the Network I jumped in whole hardly and was up for the task. I served on the Strategic Planning Committee this past year and really got a feel for the expansive history this organization has and why we do what we do. I encourage any member to get involved with the Network and reap the benefits of friendship, networking and education.

This organization thrives with the leadership of our hard working Board of Directors and Committee members solely dedicated our mission. We recently launched a new Facebook page, be sure to ‘Like Us’. Coming soon is ‘LinkedIn’ and the social media exposure is growing. Welcome to our new members.

Membership has grown a current 385 members, 114 member agencies and 43 individual, student and retirees.  The Network with the Network events have become a wonderful way to meet your peers by drawing in members for a fun and educational event. Please join the Network in Aging on January 22^nd for ‘Cruise in for a Classic Time’ at the Pierce Arrow Museum. The event includes a guided tour, hors d’oeuvres and open bar. The event is open to guests 21 or older. See our website for additional information and registration. Thank-you to our sponsors: Harris Beach PLLC Attorneys at Law and  Laping, Surdej Associates, LLC, and thanks to our dessert table courtesy of People Inc., Univera Healthcare, and Touching Hearts at home. This year our honorary charity will be: Buffalo Niagara Honor Flight.

I am proud to serve as the new President and thank the Network in Aging board of directors for their vote of confidence electing me to this position.

Let our New Year’s resolution be this: we will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word. Happy New Year!!