SOSMagOctoberDecember2021

It is hard for me to believe that on December 16, 2021, I will have been here for 25 years. We opened our doors to the public December 16, 1996. I am told that I was last person interviewed for the position. I will always feel forever grateful to have been selected. I love this job! What foresight, Judge Jane Lucal, Ray & Marian Koch had when they voluntarily led the charge to see that Erie County had one place to call when a senior citizen needed help. As citizen leaders, they achieved a vision that was14 years before the first wave of Baby-boomers turned 65. That first wave hit in 2011. I think their timing was perfect. It gave us time to develop our knowledge and experience necessary to have the skills and credibility to do the work well. In return, we earned the public’s trust. Serving Our Seniors Over the last 25 years we have moved our office on four (4) different occasions. Each time to increase working space as the 60+ population continued to grow larger and their problems more complex. In 2019, rather than moving, we laid out plans to expand our existing office space. We needed to make room for more advocates and additional private client meeting rooms for problem-solving and Medicare counseling. The renovation started in February 2020 and completed in September 2020. Thank you, again, to The Erie County Community Foundation, The Mylander Foundation, The Wightman-Wieber Foundation, The Dorn Foundation, the many, many individual donors and the volunteer Project Manager – Mark Norman. All unselfishly gave to make this expansion a reality funded 100% by donated dollars. It couldn’t have happened without all of you. Some of the faces working at Serving Our Seniors have remained the same. Chris Ferguson retired as the Quality Assurance Manager in June 2020, after 20 years. She has come back to work part-time and will help wherever we need her. I think she misses us and we are grateful for that. Pat Davis, has been working at Serving Our Seniors Judge Jane Lucal & Sue Daugherty 1996 Sue Daugherty & Judge Jane Lucal 2021 L-R, Front: Dean Lucal, Ray Koch Back: Marian Koch, Judge Jane Lucal, Gloria Fidler, Katherine Lucal 14