Bill Text: NY J01520 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

New York Senate Resolution 1520 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Honoring Ruth Johnson Colvin upon the occasion of her designation for special recognition by the New York State Office for the Aging on May 21, 2019

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-05-21 - ADOPTED [J01520 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-J01520-Introduced.html


Senate Resolution No. 1520

BY: Senator MAY

        HONORING  Ruth Johnson Colvin upon the occasion of
        her designation for special recognition by  the  New
        York State Office for the Aging on May 21, 2019

  WHEREAS,  Senior citizens bring a wealth of experience and knowledge
to the increasingly active roles they play  in  today's  society;  their
past  contributions  and  future  participation are a vital part of, and
valuable asset to, the fabric of community life and activity; and

  WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Ruth Johnson
Colvin upon the occasion of her designation for special  recognition  by
the New York State Office for the Aging at its Annual Older New Yorkers'
Day  Celebration on Tuesday, May 21, 2019, at the Hart Theatre Lounge in
The Egg, Albany, New York; and

  WHEREAS, Each May, the New York State Office for the Aging pauses to
acknowledge the outstanding contributions made by older citizens  during
National Older Americans Month; and

  WHEREAS,  Members  of  older generations have helped build and shape
our Nation to be the greatest in  the  world;  they  have  defended  our
freedoms  and  values  to ensure that those who come after them may have
better lives; nowhere in the Nation is the legacy of their efforts  more
visible  and  more  a part of the lives of all citizens than here in the
State of New York; and

  WHEREAS, Ruth Johnson Colvin, a literacy pioneer,  is  a  native  of
Chicago,  Illinois;  in  1940,  she  moved  to  Syracuse  and earned her
Bachelor of Science in Business from Syracuse University, Class of 1959;
and

  WHEREAS, In 1961, after learning that more than 11,000 people in the
Syracuse community were "functionally illiterate," Ruth  Johnson  Colvin
took  a  proactive  approach and began working with professional reading
specialists to develop tutor training and instructional materials; and

  WHEREAS, In 1962, Ruth Johnson Colvin founded  Literacy  Volunteers;
now  known  as LiteracyCNY, this non-profit organization provides adults
in  the  Central  New  York  community  with  the  literacy  tools   and
instruction they need to learn English; and

  WHEREAS, With Ruth Johnson Colvin's guidance, the literacy volunteer
movement   quickly   spread  across  the  United  States;  the  national
organization, Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc., was incorporated  in
1972; and

  WHEREAS,  Over the course of 50 years, Ruth and her husband, Robert,
traveled the  world  to  provide  literacy  training  in  more  than  60
different  countries; today, Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. offers
more than 330 programs in 42 states, with more than  100,000  volunteers
and students; and

  WHEREAS,  In  1987,  Ruth  Johnson  Colvin  was  recognized with the
highest  volunteerism  award  in  the  United  States,  the  President's
Volunteer Action Award; and

  WHEREAS, In 1993, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of
Fame,  and  in  2006, she received the prestigious Presidential Medal of
Freedom; she has also received nine honorary degrees and  more  than  20
local  and  national  awards, and has published several works, including
Off the Beaten Path: Stories of People Around the World; and

  WHEREAS, In 2002, ProLiteracy was formed when Literacy Volunteers of
America, Inc. merged with Laubach Literacy International; at the age  of
102, Ruth Johnson Colvin continues as an active volunteer tutor and life
member  of  the  ProLiteracy  and LiteracyCNY board of directors and has
started literacy programs in Madagascar and Papua, New Guinea; and

  WHEREAS, In 2010, The Ruth J. Colvin Center was  created  and  named
after her, aimed at increasing the abilities of Central New Yorkers with
limited literacy skills; and

  WHEREAS,  Ruth Johnson Colvin advice for other New Yorkers regarding
volunteering is "If you believe in your idea, you go from there. If  you
do it with love, it will work out."; and

  WHEREAS,  Rare  indeed  is  the  impressive  dedication  shown by an
individual for the benefit of  others  which  Ruth  Johnson  Colvin  has
displayed throughout her life; and

  WHEREAS,  Ruth Johnson Colvin has inspired and enriched the lives of
those she serves through her volunteerism, generously sharing the wisdom
gained over years of experiencing life to its fullest;  now,  therefore,
be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Ruth Johnson Colvin upon  the  occasion  of  her  designation  for
special  recognition  by  the New York State Office for the Aging on May
21, 2019; and be it further

  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted to Ruth Johnson Colvin.