PETER FITZPATRICK TO RECEIVE 2023 JACQUELINE R. JEFFERSON OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER AWARD AT BE THE VOICE! ON MAY 24TH

As a volunteer in CARIE’s SMP health care fraud and abuse prevention program, Peter is passionate about improving the well-being of older adults within Venango and the surrounding northwestPennsylvania counties. A tenacious advocate, Peter is also a trustworthy source of information for Medicare fraud prevention, tax preparation, health insurance counseling, and connecting community leaders more closely to the causes they work toward advancing. 

As a representative on every SMP Advisory Council session since its inception in 2019, Peter’s expertise and passion have resulted in the creation of the PA-SMP Personal Health Care Journals, expanded partnerships in rural communities, aligning of messaging for particular audiences, coordinating the SMP message with that of PA-MEDI, recruiting and networking for the SMP, and advising on Medicare education best practices.

One of the most significant factors of working with Peter is his calm and respectful demeanor that makes him extremely approachable. When combined with his extensive knowledge of Medicare, community resources, hospice, Community Health Choices, and other related elements, Peter is the hallmark of connecting case to cause, a model replicated elsewhere throughout CARIE.

CARIE is grateful to Peter for his exemplary service and pleased to honor him with the 2023 Jacqueline R. Jefferson Outstanding Volunteer Award. 

In 2022 CARIE’s Board established the Jacqueline R. Jefferson Outstanding Volunteer Award to honor Mrs. Jefferson for the many ways over many years she has contributed to CARIE. For over two decades, Mrs. Jefferson’s tireless commitment to CARIE as a volunteer in the Pennsylvania SMP has helped this statewide initiative become a model for the national SMP community. With genuine concern for her peers and a special ability to engage her audiences, Mrs. Jefferson has helped thousands of Pennsylvania  Medicare beneficiaries protect themselves from fraud and abusive scams.

As advocates for equal rights and justice for more than 45 years, we stand with those engaged in
the fight against systemic racism, prejudice, and discrimination. Our work regularly brings us
face-to-face with institutionalized racism, bias, and discrimination directed to older adults of
color and its impact. Many have lived through a lifetime of deeply embedded structural
discrimination in housing, employment, education, and lending, denied the right to own a home
in a neighborhood with good schools, clean air and water, and access to healthy foods.
Data starkly highlights the impact of generations of racist policies. To address this disparity in
economic well-being, it is important that we explicitly identify the role structural racism and
white misanthropy has played in creating that disparity. As we continue the work we do in
behalf of some of society’s most vulnerable members, we pledge work with aligned
organizations to do more to name and dismantle the institutionalized racism and white
misanthropy that has brought us to this point.
We are taking deliberate steps to create an environment within CARIE that fosters transparency,
supports open communication, and ensures spaces and opportunities for all staff to feel safe and
valued and to thrive. We will use our collective influence to instill anti-racism practices within
the broader systems we engage including long-term care and healthcare systems, housing,
criminal and civil justice, guardianship, transportation accessibility, and the broader aging
system at the local, state and federal level. We hereby commit to bring resources, talent, and
energy to the fight to end racism in all its forms and wherever it may live.

Read CARIE’s Anti-Racism Position.

Established in 1963, Older Americans Month (OAM) is celebrated every May. Led by the
Administration for Community Living (ACL), OAM is a time for us to acknowledge the
contributions and achievements of older Americans, highlight important trends, and strengthen
our commitment to honoring our older citizens.
This year’s theme, Aging Unbound, offers an opportunity to explore a wide range of aging
experiences and to promote the importance of enjoying independence and fulfillment by paving
our own paths as we age.
This May, join us as we recognize the 60th anniversary of OAM and challenge the narrative on
aging. Here are some ways we can all participate in Aging Unbound:

• Embrace the opportunity to change. Find a new passion, go on an adventure, and push
  boundaries by not letting age define your limits. Invite creativity and purpose into your
  life by trying new activities in your community to bring in more growth, joy, and energy.
• Explore the rewards of growing older. With age comes knowledge, which provides
  insight and confidence to understand and experience the world more deeply. Continue to
  grow that knowledge through reading, listening, classes, and creative activities.
• Stay engaged in your community. Everyone benefits when everyone is connected and
  involved. Stay active by volunteering, working, mentoring, participating in social clubs,
  and taking part in activities at your local senior center or elsewhere in the community.
• Form relationships. As an essential ingredient of well-being, relationships can enhance
  your quality of life by introducing new ideas and unique perspectives. Invest time with
  people to discover deeper connections with family, friends, and community members.
  For more information, contact CARIE at 215.545-5728 or 800-356-3606; www.carie.org;
  Instagram: @carieadvocates; Twitter: @CARIEadvocates
  Visit the official OAM website, follow ACL on Twitter and Facebook, and join the conversation
  using #OlderAmericansMonth.