When Rev. Dr. Robert Levey was approached by UYM Charities’s Board President Dr. Robert Costanzo to lead the organization in late 2024, he knew he wanted to get involved because it touched on a cause close to his heart.
“Older adults matter,” said Robert, whose academic interest in aging was preceded by a personal one. “Growing up, I had the chance to literally live next door to my grandmother, who moved up to eastern Long Island when I was almost 13, as my grandfather continued to become more ill.”
Noting his grandfather passed away just days after their arrival, Robert said he was able to forge a close bond with his grandmother, who would live another 25 years. His favorite memories of his grandmother consist of the stories she shared about growing up in rural South Carolina in the early 1900’s.
“We would eat poundcake and watch the [Atlanta] Braves on TBS,” Robert said. Her house was attached to my parents’ house, so my parents sometimes would come over while we were hanging, but we would start laughing like only we did when we were alone again.”
For Robert, the chance to make a difference in the lives of older adults through Aging Well is particulary gratifying. A donation-based program that assists older adults seeking integrative health and wellness services, the program supports access to complementary modalities such as acupuncture, massage therapy, energy healing, mindfulness, spiritual counseling, and more.
“How we treat older adults says so much about ourselves as individuals and America as a society,” he said. “There is so much unrest in society today that it is easy to lose sight of the need for older adults to age with dignity and grace.”
Costanzo agrees and said supporting seniors has been a lifelong passion. Acknowledging he is now an older adult himself, he said his passion is now grounded in his own experience.
“As I age, I can see that the focus of society no longer addresses many of my concerns,” he said. “‘Aging well’ is important to me, and that it means something different to me now than it did 30, even 10, years ago.”
For Robert, the opportunity with Aging Well is two-fold, as he said he wants to also capture and share some of the stories of those they serve in addition to providing holistic health services.
“My hope is we can give older adults a chance to be heard,” he said.
Click here to learn more about Aging Well, donate, or facilitate/host a pop-up session.
Founded in 1980, UYM Charities supports underserved individuals and communities through wellness, mentorship, and community-based care and initiatives rooted in dignity, equity, and holistic well-being.