Two Atlantic Ageing Grantees Receive “People of the Year” Award
Resource type: News
Irish Senior Citizens' Parliament |
Irish Senior Citizens’ Parliament and the Irish Hospice Foundation are Atlantic grantees.
The Irish Senior Citizens’ Parliament is thrilled and delighted that its President, Sylvia Meehan, has been presented with a prestigious “People of the Year” award. Sylvia was presented with the award by Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland for giving a voice to those who might otherwise be forgotten and for her skill and tenacity in asserting the rights of older people.
“The Parliament’s President is a vociferous campaigner for older people and has been a champion of equal rights in Ireland for decades”, said Máiréad Hayes, CEO of the Parliament, the country’s largest representative organisation of older people. “Sylvia has never stopped campaigning and came to the fore yet again last year when she led our campaign against the abolition of the universal entitlement to the medical card for over 70s”, she concluded.
“Older people have become more confident and I am thrilled that this confidence is expressing itself” said Sylvia at the time of the protest, which culminated with 20,000 older people gathering at Leinster House.
Sylvia has contributed to the National Oversight Committee and served on the board of the Council for Aging & Older People and has served as the Irish representative on the executive of AGE the European Older Peoples Platform as well as the Government’s Task Force on Active Citizenship.
Sylvia will chair the ISCP’s meeting on Communicating Europe on Friday 18 September in EU House on Dawson Street in Dublin.
Photo (l-r); Mairead Hayes, CEO The Irish Senior Citizens Parliament, Mary Robinson former President of Ireland and recent recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom, Sylvia Meehan, President The Irish Senior Citizens Parliament and Mary Sutton, Programme Executive for Ageing, The Atlantic Philanthropies.
In addition, for its support and commitment to the development of a world-class hospice/palliative care service in Ireland, and for its vision for the future of all people facing the end of life, the Irish Hospice Foundation, another Atlantic grantee, was awarded a People of the Year Award.
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