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As a five-year Philadelphia Corporation for Aging employee, Kate Clark has come to revel in making connections, whether they involve her bonding with individuals or tying topics together.
The 36-year-old East Passyunk Crossing dweller will begin to cater to her affinity for unity more fervently next month as a health and policy fellow through the New York-headquartered Atlantic Philanthropies.
“There are so many possibilities to improve older adults’ lives, so I’m excited for this opportunity to maximize networking opportunities and put ideas into practice,” the planner for policy and program development said last week from her home on the 1700 block of South 10th Street. “My efforts won’t focus only on seniors, though, because I know what’s good for them will benefit younger generations, too.”
Her soon-to-be benefactor officially disclosed its list of 11 honorees last month, selecting Clark for overseeing her employer’s Age-friendly Philadelphia agenda, as well as chairing Generation Appreciation Philadelphia. She founded the latter, which has become a corporation program, four years ago as a product of her belief that equity and sustainability for older adults must matter to more than policy makers.
“People are living longer and need more options to remain healthy, vibrant and productive,” Clark said, noting Philadelphia two years ago had 267,000 residents older than 60, which translates to 17 percent of the population, good for second in the nation behind her native New York City. “That means aligning them with resources, but it should include having more professionals start to understand how to identify with their needs and understand their experiences.”
The advocate accomplishes outreach through her dual duties, with her brainchild including 400 ambassadors who learn through events and meetings of integration occasions for their predecessors in youth. Engaging herself in areas such as community gardens, healthy eating, housing and public transportation, she stresses mixing practicality and novelty in forging intergenerational exchanges beneficial to all parties.
“That’s something I’ll reiterate during my fellowship,” Clark, who will leave for the nation’s capital in late October for training before becoming a full-fledged implorer of accord with federal agencies to improve her current metropolis, especially South Philly, said. “So many fear growing older because they believe fewer and fewer people are going to care. That’s not true.”
Responsible for instructing her peers in the joys of seeing seniors succeed, she acknowledges pride in becoming a commended worker yet sees the kudos as a secondary component.
“We have to continue to speak up for and act on the behalf of older adults,” Clark said. “If we all wish to reach old age, shouldn’t we see what we do today is going to set everyone up for a better future?”
The Empire State product first envisioned brighter tomorrows as a Clark University geography and art history student, using the Massachusetts-situated school to learn of cities’ physical environments. Following a stint as an English as a Second Language teacher in Venezuela, she kickstarted her professional life upon returning to her birth state, with New York’s Department of Parks and Recreation retaining her for nearly three years, which included her creating and managing the Parks Library in Central Park.
After returning to South America for tutelage at Chile’s Pontificia Universidad Católica School of Urban Planning and a research and translation internship in Argentina, she furthered her community growth curiosity by obtaining a master’s of public administration from Syracuse University. She remained a presence in Upstate New York for another three years as an economic development specialist and a public art coordinator.
“New York offered so many opportunities, but I wanted a bit of a change,” Clark, who moved to Philadelphia with husband David Clayton in 2008, said. “I started to think about how to apply myself different ways, and though I didn’t necessarily have the intense background working with older adults, I felt I could use my knowledge of other fields to benefit them.”
As the Area Agency for Aging, her organization operates 34 senior community centers, including the South Philadelphia Older Adult Center, 1430 E. Passyunk Ave., which she noted in Age-friendly Philadelphia’s ’11 inaugural report as being situated in a community that can foster many opportunities for enrollees and their contemporaries. Eager to help other expanses to offer aesthetic delights and structural ease, the proponent of visitability, which is the movement to have home construction concentrate on making mobility-impaired individuals feel safer through amenities such as step-free entrances and half-baths, always looks for partners who see aging citizens as helpers rather than hindrances.
“Because we’re beginning to deal with many older residents, conveying the message has become easier but no less important,” Clark, whose efforts have brought her employer much renown, including a National Association of Area Agencies on Aging Achievement Award, said. “There are so many people out there to address and many more to get in their corner.”
Owing to her attraction to overall communal progress, the mother of 2-year-old August last year co-founded the East Passyunk Crossing Civic Association and Town Watch’s Education Committee. Last week, she offered Spanish translation in helping Southwark School, 1835 S. Ninth St., to open a new year as a Team Dragon member. No matter the endeavor, Clark knows the present informs the future and therefore advocates for action.
“Years ago, nobody talked about seniors,” she said. “I can’t stop talking about them. We derive strength from them. They’re the future, too.”
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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