(L to R) Senior Service America, Inc. Executive Director Tony Sarmiento, DAAS Chief of Elder Rights Kathryn Lanier, State of Franklin Health Council Board Chair Jack Horton, and DAAS Director Suzanne Merrill recognize Bettie M. Seay with the SCSEP Golden Jubilee Award. Horton accepted on behalf of Seay.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) celebrated National Employ Older Workers Week with an Older Worker awards luncheon on Sept. 30.

DAAS presented the 50th anniversary Senior Community Service Employment Program Golden Jubilee Award to honor 93-year-old Bettie M. Seay, executive director of the State of Franklin Health Council, in western North Carolina. Seay has been involved with SCSEP since 1973 when it was a demonstration project called Operation Mainstream.

DAAS State Coordinator for the Title V Program Reena Shetty and DAAS Director Suzanne Merrill welcomed attendees. Merrill said she is “proud to be part of the demographic,” stating that SCSEP provided job security for more than 70,000 older workers nationwide last year. She also pointed out that by 2020, 25 percent of the U.S. civilian workforce will be age 55 or older.  

Nelson Santiago, Orange County program manager for learning and development, and a former DHHS employee, energized the audience, honoring senior citizens for their “institutional knowledge” and people skills, saying, “You’re making a difference for the younger generations.”

- Philip Woodward