BAY RIDGE — Assemblymember Mathylde Frontus hosted the community at a Senior Town Hall and Resource Fair on Friday, Oct. 4, at St. Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church at 8100 Ridge Boulevard.
The fair ran from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and offered an informative introduction from Frontus followed by a lively question-and-answer session before Frontus invited select spokespersons from some of the groups in attendance to speak to the audience of seniors. Following the talks, the seniors had the opportunity to go by each information table and pick up literature and free gifts.
The fair provided seniors with educational material and helped connect them to some valuable services and resources. Twenty community groups were there to meet the seniors.
Organizations participating in the resource fair included the 68th Precinct Community Affairs, Bay Ridge AARP ,the Bay Ridge Center, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, the Census Bureau NYC, EZ Living Home Care of NY, the Fifth Avenue Committee, the Fort Hamilton Library, the Jewish Association Serving the Aging, Kingsborough Community College Live Well — Do Well — Age Well Program, the Legal Aid Society, MTA Access-A-Ride, the NIA Community Services Network, the New York City Board of Elections, the New York City Department for the Aging, the New York City Human Resources Administration, the Shore Hill Neighborhood Senior Center, “The Insurance Doctor” Robert Intelisano and ThriveNYC.
“I’m very excited to be presenting my very first senior town hall in the 46th Assembly District,” Frontus told this paper. “We’re starting in Bay Ridge today but my intention is to offer this senior town hall and move it around the district and potentially have the next one in Coney Island.”
Frontus said the reason for the town hall was plain and simple. “Our seniors are the backbone of our community. They spent their lifetimes working, raising families, taking care of many generations and now they’ve reached a time in their lives where many of them are vulnerable,” she said.
Frontus said she felt that some of the seniors might feel nervous asking questions and wanted to allow them a forum where everything could be brought out into the open. “We want to bring the services to them so that they don’t have to feel the burden of always going out,” she explained. “And basically this is a culmination of me moving around the district and hearing what’s important to seniors so we’re answering all of their questions today.”
The Very Reverend Michael Ellias, pastor of St. Mary’s, was delighted to welcome the seniors to St. Mary’s. “Several years ago, we renovated our church social hall both for the use of our parishioners and also to make it available to our community groups here in Bay Ridge and we’re very happy today to welcome the assemblywoman and this senior town hall resource center.”
Bay Ridge AARP President Peter Killen was impressed with Frontus and the resource fair. “The fact that an elected official from Bay Ridge is willing to give her time and effort to bring all this information to the seniors of Bay Ridge is a wonderful thing. And a thank-you has to be given to all the agencies, from the privates to the city’s, for being here and participating,” he added.
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