Assembly Member Rebecca A. Seawright today announced that she has obtained funding for NYFSC, a leading nonprofit organization serving older adults, to rename their trailblazing Home Sharing and Respite Care Program in honor of former Congressman Charles B. Rangel and his wife, Alma.As a young professional, Alma Rangel served as a social worker for the NYC Department of Aging. She went on to become a member of Mayor Lindsay’s administration, a member of Governor Rockefeller’s White House Commission on Aging, and a longtime NYFSC board member.

NYSFC has pioneered alternative programs to nursing home care, such as aging-in-place, naturally occurring retirement communities, and home-sharing programs. It is the only non-profit, non-sectarian organization serving older adults throughout the five boroughs.

“Last week, I joined the nation in mourning Congressman Rangel, who served his country with courage as a decorated combat infantryman in Korea and with distinction as the first Black chair of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee,” said Assembly Member Seawright, who represents the Upper East Side, Yorkville, Roosevelt Island and chairs the Assembly Aging Committee. “I am pleased to have secured support for NYFSC to rename their vital program after him and his beloved wife Alma, who served elder New Yorkers over her lifetime as a social worker, advocate and NYFSC board member.NYFSC has redefined elder care in NYC for the past 50 years and I am proud to be a longtime supporter of their vital work.”

“New York Foundation for Senior Citizens truly appreciates Assembly Member Seawright's recognition of the importance of our organization and its unique and extremely helpful Home Sharing and Respite Care Program to New York City's older adults, which has also been recognized by the Honorable Charles B. and Alma Rangel for over four decades,” said NYFSC Chairman William N. Hubbard III.

Rebecca A. Seawright represents the Upper East Side, Yorkville, and Roosevelt Island in New York’s 76th Assembly District. She chairs the Aging Committee, which oversees legislation and agencies affecting New York's nearly 5 million older adults' quality of life and independence. This includes 60,000 New Yorkers over 65 in her district, the largest concentration in Manhattan. 

Since her 2014 election, and as the first woman to serve the district, Assembly Member Seawright has been a strong voice for over 140,000 constituents, securing hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding for public schools, senior centers, parks, and non-profits.She was the Assembly lead sponsor of the ERA to our New York State Constitution. Voters ratified the amendment as a ballot referendum in the 2024 general election.