Grand prize for Today’s Options competition given at state fair
By Jason Emerson
editor
Two residents of Fayetteville and one of East Syracuse each brought home $1,000 donations to local charities of their choice for being named finalists in the Today’s Options Champions Competition, a contest designed to recognize everyday champions who are making a difference in the lives of older Americans in Central New York.
Mary Beth Anderson and Mary Anne Corasaniti, both of Fayetteville, and John Ryan, of East Syracuse, were three of five competition finalists, along with Donna Denison of Cazenovia and Ralph Rotella of North Syracuse. All five appeared on stage at Chevy Court at the New York State Fair on Aug. 30 for the announcement of the contest’s grand champion winner of $10,000 charitable donation, as determined by popular online voting.
All five finalists were introduced and thanked by Today’s Options Senior Vice President of Sales James Mckenzie, and had their finalist videos played on the large screens for the thousands of people at Chevy Court to watch.
Ralph Rotella, of North Syracuse, was named the Grand Champion, and the donation will go to Rescue Mission Alliance of Syracuse.
“I’m happy because all of us do a lot of good things for our communities, not just me — we’re all champions; we’re all winners,” Rotella said.
While Rotella received the grand prize of a $10,000 donation to his designated charity, the other four finalists also were awarded $1,000 donations to each of their respective charities.
McKenzie said this year there were more votes in the competition than ever before — and the company plans to run the contest again next year.
“This is not a promotion for the company, this really recognizes people who do these things and helps them help their charities,” McKenzie said. “These are all amazing people in their own ways.”
Anderson, who designated YMCA of Greater Syracuse as her charity, has been the Y’s Active Older Adults coordinator for the past five years. She works to stimulate connections among senior members through social, physical and spiritual activity. She said her goal is to create programs to meet these needs of the Syracuse YMCA’s seniors as both individuals and a group.
Anderson has developed the Active Older Adults program into a nationwide model of member engagement. She has created new programs and boosted daily participation from zero to 40 in Pickleball, 30 in Bridge, 30 in Book Club, 40 in Walking Group, 12 in Garden Club, and 10 in Art Club. Her programs have also attracted 700 people to the Health Series, 350 people to trips and socials, 240 to Meet and Greets and more than 300 people in Moving for Better Balance classes.
Corasaniti, who designated the Elder Abuse Program at Vera House as her charity, has championed the cause of elder abuse for nearly 30 years. She said her lifelong mission is to see that older adults in Central New York are honored, respected and valued. Through her work with the Elder Abuse Program at Vera House, Corasaniti works to identify and eliminate cases of abuse, neglect and financial exploitation.
Corasaniti also has served as the executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association of Central New York and currently works at Hunter College’s Brookdale Center on Healthy Aging. In 1999, she helped launch the Elder Justice Committee of the Syracuse Area Domestic and Sexual Violence Coalition.
Ryan, who designated James Square Health and Rehabilitation Centre as his charity, was a mechanical engineer for General Electric for 40 years and is now a full-time volunteer. He spends his time helping seniors and many others at the James Square Health and Rehabilitation Centre, St. Matthew’s Church, the Red Cross, East Syracuse Meals on Wheels and the East Syracuse Library.
While all of his volunteer work is important to him, his work with the James Square Health and Rehabilitation Centre, a skilled nursing facility, remains the closest to his heart, he said. Ryan’s late wife lived at James Square while she suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. During the seven years his wife stayed at this facility, Ryan did everything he could to make it a home and make sure all of her needs were met. Over time, he built a strong relationship with the organization and its residents.
Visit TodaysOptionsChampions.com to read the Champions’ full stories or watch their videos on YouTube.
