2017 “Gift of Age” Cabaret honoree Vilma Benjamin (middle), with Eldercare Foundation President & CEO Kate Rolf (right) and Eldercare Foundation Board Chair Anita P. Lombardi.
2017 “Gift of Age” Cabaret honoree Peter Huntington, MD (middle), with Eldercare Foundation President & CEO Kate Rolf (right) and Eldercare Foundation Board Chair Anita P. Lombardi.

The Eldercare Foundation’s 10th annual “Gift of Age” Cabaret was held on Friday, April 7, 2017, in memory of the late Amelia Greiner, community advocate and founder of Home Aides of Central New York, a not-for-profit home healthcare agency affiliated with VNA Homecare that has been serving the aging members of our community since 1966.

More than 120 guests gathered at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel and Conference Center to enjoy a gourmet meal and first-class entertainment by internationally acclaimed jazz vocalist Alita Moses and the Chittenango High School Select Choir. The highlight of the evening, however, were the presentations of the annual Eldercare Appreciation Awards.

The inaugural Amelia Greiner Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Peter Huntington, MD, in honor of his dedication and commitment to Central New York and to the countless individuals he has inspired throughout his prestigious medical career. In the spirit of Home Aides of Central New York’s founder, he has given selflessly of his time and talents in service to the community.

The Eldercare Employee Award was presented to Vilma Benjamin, a retired home health aide, in recognition of her lifelong dedication to caring for the elderly, ill and homebound. At the time of her retirement in 2016, she had provided more than 43,000 hours of compassionate care and earned a reputation for her generous and honorable character.

The event raised more than $40,000 in support of the Foundation’s mission of enabling aging, ill and frail individuals to remain at home with dignity and independence. Major sponsors included Cygnus Management Foundation; The Hayner Hoyt Corporation; Kinney Drugs Foundation; Sutton Real Estate Company, LLC; and Welch Allyn.

“We hold this event in the hope of raising our community’s compassion for aging individuals and their families,” said Anita P. Lombardi, Chair of the Eldercare Foundation Board of Directors. “By recognizing the exemplary contributions of our honorees, we raise awareness of the importance of caring about, and caring for, our community’s elders.”

By martha

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