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About Us

Awards and Press

Honors
for Irene Zola,
LiLY Founder and Executive Director:

Media

Visibility

  • LiLY is the subject of a 30 minute Manhattan News Network segment, “Something to Offer” (October 2013.)
  • LiLY’s Morningside Village program is the subject of a Turning Point episode that has been airing nationally on PBS affiliates (2012 – present)
  • PSAs for LiLY’s Love An Elder Day Awareness Campaign aired during primetime programming on FOX, NBC and Hulu (2013)
  • Love An Elder Awareness Campaign street visibility: 680 Manhattan interior bus ads and a dozen bus shelter and phone booth ads (2013)

LiLY, Lifeforce in Later Years, was founded in 2009 by a group of concerned people whose experiences with their elder parents or other relatives were eye-opening. They found that families are often caught off guard in meeting the challenges that they face when an elderly member is no longer able to function independently. They found that in our culture, individuals generally do not know about the hardships that can befall an aging loved one. And, they found a care system which does not effectively respond.

LiLY’s founder, Irene Zola, is a firm believer in the power of critical thinking and creative collaborations. After the death of her mother, Faye Zola (1911-2008), she met with like-minded associates to create an organization that would provide life-affirming programs, all aimed at confronting the issues that faced her mother, including:

  • inadequate health services
  • strained resources at the typical nursing home
  • a culture that has made invisible the plight of the very old and their families

In February, 2009, the Board of Directors of LiLY began its work. It decided that in order to truly make changes for today’s seniors, some of its programs need to be local. But, in order to make changes that will benefit tomorrow’s seniors, some of its programs need a broader national scope. And with that, a number of exciting program ideas have emerged. We will keep you posted.

So far, those of us at LiLY have been met with enthusiasm by officials, researchers, health care professionals, elderly people and their families, as well as by members of the community who want to help. In fact, members of the Board found that when people get together, the creative possibilities are endless. We look forward to talking with you on our LiLY Public Forum Blog about our work and about your ideas too.