Encore Community Services Hosts Special Event Celebrating “Aging Through Art” At Sardi's

On Monday, November 21st Encore Community Services hosted "Encore Ovation: A Celebration of Aging Through Art" at theater district institution Sardi's. Encore is a nonprofit network of older adult services, meal, and housing providers on the West Side of Manhattan.

The event raised funds for the organization's programming and promoted awareness of the healing power the arts have on aging. Honorees Steve Ross and Michelle Memran were recognized for exemplifying and amplifying this theme through their artistic careers.

Master of Ceremonies Marta Sanders kicked off the evening with an exuberant rendition of Young at Heart. Encore Board Member Kendall Messick welcomed all and shared that after working with the organization for 20 years "my passion for this event comes from seeing aging people come alive through creativity. This is an event that comes from the heart, and all Encore is from the heart."

Encore Executive Director Jeremy Kaplan spoke on the importance of Encore's mission. "New Yorkers 65 and up are the fastest growing group in New York. We have to help celebrate the power of creativity throughout our lives. Tonight, we are thrilled to be honoring two outstanding artists, Michelle Memran and Steve Ross."

Michelle Memran, writer, reporter, visual artist, and award-winning documentary filmmaker, received the inaugural Paul Lucas Artistic Spirit Award-presented by Encore to an individual who champions those who may be overlooked. Her documentary "The Rest I Make Up," chronicles the story of Cuban-American playwright Maria Irene Fornes living a creative life while struggling with Alzheimer's.

Steve Ross received the Fr. George Moore Artistic Impact Award for his significant artistic contribution to the Manhattan cabaret community for over 40 years. He is an award-winning international cabaret icon, singer, songwriter, and pianist, and a beloved figure who creates unforgettable moments through the songs of composers such as Gershwin, Porter, and Irving Berlin.

The evening included a host of joyous performances including by Steve Ross and Marta Sanders, and Encore members Cary Gibbs singing Come Fly with Me, Rhonda Williams singing an original composition My Best Friend is Within Me, Nancy Moore inspiring a sing-a-long with her rendition of the classic, Downtown, and a reading of 5-Cab Driver from Encore's Creative Writing Group book by Peter Linari. Encore Chief Operating Officer Judith Castillo and longtime volunteer Alicia concluded the evening together with a heartfelt thank you and look towards the future of Encore.

The successful event was co-chaired by Encore board members Robert Wankel and Kendall Messick.

About ENCORE Community Services: The mission of Encore Community Services is to provide care and service to the elderly of the Clinton/Times Square/Midtown communities, and to any elderly person who comes to us; to assist those who are vulnerable and frail, poor and homeless, homebound and lonely, frequently desperate, most often ignored; to help them with their daily needs that they might live as independently as possible, with dignity and decency, in a non-institutional manner, in a safe and caring environment. We believe we are all part of the human family and have an obligation to love one another. By nurturing, respecting and enabling, Encore hopes to improve the quality of an older person's life, in an approach that emanates from the core of Encore's commitment: we believe that what we do comes from the heart, and the heart is the center of all.