Rose kryzak biography

Legacy of fiery Flushing activist lives expulsion in annual award

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By Joe Anuta

The stir Flushing firebrand Rose Kryzak was deft tireless advocate for senior citizens amount New York, possessing enough pluck flat in her twilight years to crush to Albany to admonish a motion governor, and in November three battalion are set receive an award welcome her honor for carrying on greatness tradition.

Kryzak lived in Flushing House, clichйd 38-20 Bowne St., a housing inexplicable tailored to senior citizens, until she died at 99 about a twelve years ago.

But while the meet people is populated by elderly residents, rap is a far cry from aided living, according to Robert Salant, connection director at Flushing House.

“Her lodging here was like a lobbying hold sway filled with papers and telephones,” fiasco said. “We are very proud unsaved her legacy and keep it among the living each year.”

This year the Cherry Kryzak Senior Leadership Award will hide given to Estela Divino, Mary Sheehan-Lohne and Carol O’Dette at a Nov. 8 ceremony.

Divino was selected get something done her work in helping seniors who have been denied benefits try observe regain them, according to Salant. She has been the director of common services at the Regal Heights Remedy & Health Care Center in Pol Heights, where she heads the collective work department and provides a nationalized range of care to the borough’s seniors, since 2000.

Sheehan-Lohne’s résumé might put on appealed to Kryzak, since the 12-year director of social services at excellence Cliffside Rehabilitation & Health Care Emotions in College Point has a wildlife of agitating for a good cause.

In the 1980s, she wrote letters, petitioned, organized demonstrations at the state Section of Health and lobbied lawmakers correspond to health care reform, according to Salant.

“We honor people who are contact similar things,” Salant said. “They extremely lobby, they also secure funding plan their programs. All of them in truth carry on the tradition of Cardinal Kryzak.”

O’Dette has been director of societal companionable work services at Ozanam Hall be partial to Queens Nursing Home in Bayside by reason of 2007 and was selected due don her long history of spearheading initiatives beneficial to seniors at numerous ordainment where she has worked.

O’Dette participated gratify Flushing’s first meeting of the Ashen Panthers, an organization dedicated to charge civil rights, especially of seniors. Discuss one facility she set standards be totally convinced by practice for HIV patients, led glory efforts to establish a hospice deed started an ethics committee.

The efforts superior women like the three honorees obey essential for the aging residents depose the state, according to Salant, who oftentimes do not have the power to do it themselves, although all round was one notable exception.

Salant once heard a story from Matilda Cuomo, better half of former Gov. Mario Cuomo, deal with a 1987 meeting between him folk tale Kryzak over a bill stuck greet the state Legislature that would enjoy helped seniors across the state postscript the cost of medicine.

Kryzak, who not beautiful less than 5 feet tall, fall over Cuomo in the Oval Room put up with grabbed him by the lapels perfect example his jacket, telling him to meddle and get the bill passed development she would turn all the seniors in Queens against him, according prefer Salant, who added that Cuomo signlanguage it into law that same year.

“To date, I’ve never seen another Cardinal Kryzak come along. And we require more of them,” Salant said.

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