Seen here at the gala sponsored by United Adult Ministries (UAM) at Westbury Manor are (L. to r.); UAM President Rev. Douglas Kurtz, Former Commissioner Nassau County Dept. of Senior Affairs Ralph Caruso, Catherine M. Sheridan Senior Center Program Manager Lawrence Harfmann, Seaside Adult Community Center Program Manager Rose Lawrence, Archbishop Iakovos Senior Center Director Stavroula Joannidis, Rose Kryzak’s niece Luzy Zaslow, Rose Kryzak’s granddaughter Rebecca Burgoon. United Adult Ministries, the parent company of Flushing House, honored three outstanding persons with The Rose Kryzak Senior Leadership Award, during their annual gala fundraising dinner on November 3 at Westbury Manor, L.I.

Kryzak was a powerful public advocate who fought for the rights of older adults. She was best known for spearheading passage of New York’s Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) plan.

A resident of Flushing House for her last 13 years, she died on June 24, 1999 at 99 years of age. To keep her legacy alive and further the many causes she cared for, UAM established the Kryzak Awards in 2000. This year’s honorees were Lawrence S. Harfmann, Stavroula Joannidis and Rose G. Lawrence.

Harfmann, MSW, has been program manager of the CCNS Catherine M. Sheridan Senior Center, Jackson Heights, since April 2001. His center is part of Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services. He lives in Glendale.

Joannidis has been director of the HANAC Archbishop Iakovos Senior Center of Long Island City since 1993. Her center is part of the Hellenic American Neighborhood Action Committee. She lives in Astoria.

Lawrence, LMSW, was program manager of the CCNS Seaside Adult Community Center of Rockaway Beach since 2004, until she retired in July 2011. Her center is part of Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services. She lives on East 89th Street in Brooklyn.

All proceeds from the gala fundraising dinner support a special endowment fund, which allows Flushing House to remain affordable for many of the older adults who live there.