South Florida’s community activists, leaders and volunteers came together at Celebrate Broward! presented by BB&T to support a new mission for our aging community. The event, held at The W Fort Lauderdale, honored outstanding community leaders and volunteers and celebrated the unveiling of Impact Broward’s new name and mission – South Florida Institute on Aging (SoFIA), a non-profit dedicated to helping South Florida’s aging community thrive.
“Not only must we know more, but we must do more – we must think, act and thrive,” said Peter Kaldes, CEO of SoFIA. “With the aging population in South Florida projected to grow to 24.5 percent by the year 2040, there will be a significant impact on the economic, social and environmental infrastructure. Our new mission will be to improve economic and social insights and services to empower people as they age.”
Juliet Roulhac, regional manager for external affairs for Florida Power & Light Company, Bob Swindell, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance and Elaine Vasquez, president of We Do Events, were honored for their commitment to South Florida and creating a community that enhances the quality of life for older people. Volunteers Robert Moelius, Elena Fallucca, Jeanette Brightman and Hazel Ferguson also were presented with the Edith Lederberg Wisdom in Action Award for their outstanding volunteer services to the organization.
In addition to the naming, two inaugural projects with support from Citrix, The Jim Moran Foundation, Broward County VA Outpatient Clinic and Nova Southeastern University were announced. Both projects are aimed at studying and improving digital literacy among older adults.
A celebratory evening of music under the stars, Celebrate Broward! presented by BB&T attracted a noteworthy list of enthusiastic sponsors and supporters for the new mission including BB&T, AARP, FPL, Priority Lending, Humana, Kaufman Rossin, BankUnited, VITAS Healthcare, Gregg Burgess, Holy Cross Hospital, Preziosi Partners, Inc., Nova Southeastern University, Memorial Healthcare System, BB Insurance Marketing, Inc., BMK Media, OATS, Jim Morgan, Robert Elgidely, W Fort Lauderdale and Pierson Grant.
The evening also included a silent auction and live musical entertainment led by Blues Soulster Joel DaSilva, Caribbean jazz artists Rootz of Music and 13 year-old jazz singer Ava Faith.
SoFIA’s mission is to improve economic and social insights and services to empower people as they age. The organization is located at 2038 N. Dixie Hwy. #201 in Wilton Manors. Visit www.theSoFIA.org for more information.