JACKSON – Their mission is to make sure no senior is forgotten or feels alone, and once again the Adopt-A-Senior organization came together to celebrate its latest successes at its annual fundraiser at the Jackson/Howell Columbian Club.
The organization formed in 2014 as an extension of the very successful Adopt-A-Senior Holiday Program that started over 20 years ago at a facility in Manhattan, under the leadership of Annye Cohen and Bill Cowen.
The mission for this non-profit is to provide gifts to as many seniors living in long-term care facilities as possible. Cohen who is the organization president has served as leader of the group for many years, explained “our mission is to provide year-round visits and personalized gifts to seniors living in long term care facilities so they are not forgotten.”
The group’s spring fling fundraiser which was very well attended, featured an abundance of gifts and plenty of surprises – one of which involved this reporter.
Unfortunately, Cohen suffered a more unpleasant surprise in the form of an injury from a fall on the day of the event while she was securing items from her car just outside the club building. Thankfully, AAS members like Victoria Marino, who is a nursing student, gathered around her and assisted her up off the ground and made she received immediate medical attention.
Marino strongly urged her to have a physician see her and evaluate her injuries from the fall she sustained. Cohen is recovering from her injuries and made it back during the middle of the event as names started to be called for the raffle prize baskets that lined up numerous tables within the hall.
Marino is a longtime volunteer and she recruited her boyfriend Jake White to become actively involved in the group. They both represent the next generation of volunteers for the organization.
Marino said, “I started when my grandfather Frank Mesto was at a nursing home and I saw them (Adopt-A-Senior) there and so I started volunteering. I was eight years old at the time and now I’m 22. It made me want to be a nurse.”
“I’m going to school for nursing and I come back every year to do this and I help give the gifts to the elderly people. Whenever they need the help I’m always there. My boyfriend and I will go there and help organize it, buy the gifts and give them out,” she added.
Marino said, “my boyfriend works in a nursing home so he sees the need for this and he loves helping out. I’ve been to many places to assist, Sunrise and Bartley in Jackson and places in south Jersey this past year. They do a lot in New York as well. I go to school in West Chester Pennsylvania so I try to come back as often as I can because I love working with them.”
Marino and White were also responsible for promoting the sale of the special 12th “Birthday Cake” raffle where you could pay “five dollar per candle and each candle has a color and depending on which one you get you get to pick a prize from that numbered table. There is a whole pattern behind it.” Each birthday candle purchased was a guaranteed winner of a prize.
Cohen told The Jackson Times that while the event was designed to be a fun experience (which is why food was added to it in more recent years) it had some structure as to when certain things would happen such as when certain raffle tickets were sold, when food was served, gift basket drawings were done and dessert served up all to make it “a fun filled afternoon and an enjoyable experience.”
One of the events on that schedule included an awards presentation where volunteers were thanked. The 2026 Frank Mesto Spirit Award was presented to Lacey Township resident Debbie Conroy who serves as the Campus Director of the Life Enrichment Lawrence Rehabilitation and Health Care Campus in Lawrenceville which is part of the Marquee Health Care System.
She was among those helping out for the day and was surprised to receive her award for being a longtime supporter and helper. “I’ve known Annye for over 10 years and she used to volunteer for the Adopt-A-Senior program at a company I used to work with.”
This reporter was also surprised to receive a beautiful plaque for the previous articles written about the organization over the years in The Jackson Times.
For additional information about Adopt a Senior organization visit adopt-a-senior.org.
The group always needs help in making sure that their mission is achieved and that seniors are never forgotten.
