ASA - American Society on Aging

2008 Awards Programs
Recognizing Excellence in the Field of Aging

Award Winners

2008 MindAlert Awards

The ASA-MetLife Foundation MindAlert awards program was established to recognize innovation in mental fitness programming for older adults. These three awards recognize programs found in nonprofit organizations demonstrating innovation and effective application accessible to diverse communities based on research. Each shows potential for replication in other communities by ease of application and financial feasibility.

Borchardt Cyber Café

St. Barnabas Senior Center of Los Angeles
Martha Spinks, Executive Director
Los Angeles, California

Borchardt Cyber Café, a program of St. Barnabas Senior Center was selected as winner of the MindAlert Award in the category for lifelong learning programs for the older adults with emphasis on mental health. Borchardt Cyber Café is a program of St. Barnabas Senior Center, serving Angelenos in the heart of Los Angeles since 1908. Founded in 1908 by the Episcopal Diocese in downtown Los Angeles, St. Barnabas Senior Services (SBSS) is today an independent, nonsectarian, nonprofit public benefit corporation, and the oldest senior service agency in Los Angeles. The mission of SBSS is to provide and advocate for a continuum of innovative services that empower a diverse community of elders to live well, feel well and age well—to do what all of us wish to do as we age: remain in our own homes and live independently.

The Dancing Heart: Vital Elders Moving in Community

Kairos Dance Theatre
Maria DuBois Genné, Artistic Director
Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Dancing Heart: Vital Elders Moving in Community a project of Kairos Dance Theatre was selected as winner of the MindAlert Award in the category for programs designed to enhance mental fitness for the older adults with early stage cognitive impairment. Developed by Maria DuBoisGenné for Kairos Dance Theatre, The Dancing Heart is an intergenerational dance company based in Minneapolis, MN. Kairos’ mission is to share the joy of dance and nurture intergenerational connections by offering performances and opportunities for creative collaboration that celebrate people of all ages, abilities and experiences.

Senior Center Without Walls

Episcopal Homes Foundation
Terry Englehart, Director
Oakland, CA

Senior Center Without Walls, a program of Senior Resources in Oakland, California was selected as winner of the MindAlert Award in the category for programs designed to enhance mental fitness for the general population of older adults . Senior Center Without Walls offers activities, friendly conversation, and an assortment of classes and support groups to homebound elders and those who find it difficult to go to a community senior center.

MindAlert Awards Review Committee
ASA wishes to thank the committee who dedicated their time in reviewing the applications:

Dean Blevins (Chair), North Little Rock, AR; Jo Arnold, Portage, MI; Barbara Ginsberg, Brooklyn, NY; James E Birren, Pacific Palisades, CA; Ruth Flexman, Wilmington, DE; James Frasier, Petersburg FL; Pamela Huff, Portland, OR; Darby Morhardt, Chicago, IL; Cheryl Svensson, Corona del Mar, CA; Sharon Sokoloff, Waltham, MA; Robyn Yale, San Francisco, CA