Our Very Own Golden Girl!
February 2nd, 2012 by admin | Posted in Community
Tags: older adults, seniors, volunteering


“Retirement is not in my vocabulary. They aren’t going to get rid of me that way!”–Betty White
If Betty White is America’s Golden Girl of Comedy, then Tessie Kozicke is the Golden Girl of the Whittaker Center, one of our many older adult programs. As America celebrated and congratulated Betty White on turning 90 last month, we are proud of our own Tessie, who is 92 and not letting anything stop her from volunteering at the Whittaker Center.
Recently, Tessie suffered a potentially life-threatening illness, yet still returned to her volunteer duties at the Whittaker Center – and meanwhile, she is still living in a five story walk-up here on the Lower East Side. Many of the attributes that Betty White possesses can also be seen in our own Tessie: drive, determination, compassion, a willingness to give to others, and most importantly, she’s feisty!  If you stop by the Center on a Monday or Friday, you will be greeted by our very own Golden Girl.
Both Betty White and Tessie are living proof that you can be a valuable part of society long after age 65. We are so grateful and proud of Tessie and wish her many more years of volunteering with us!
Interested in volunteer opportunities at the Whittaker Center or other Educational Alliance programs? Check out our volunteers page.
Bonnie Lumagui is the Director of the Whittaker Center and Co-op Village NORC.


