ABRAHAM ROTH
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening, 89-year-old Abraham Roth makes the familiar trek from his Lower East Side apartment to Grand Street Settlement. Although he ambles slowly, he arrives at the agency before any of the other members of the Older Adults Program–somewhere between 6 and 6:30 p.m. Almost immediately he sets about his regular duties–making coffee and tea. The rest of the seniors start trickling in shortly afterward, select their favorite spots, and then fill their cups with tea or coffee. Once they've settled down, Mr. Roth hands out the bingo cards and "beans" and collects their coins–two pennies per card. "He's got a good loud voice and he does a very good job," says one of the players, as Mr. Roth begins calling out the numbers.

Mr. Roth has been organizing the bingo games and other social events for the Older Adults Program for more than 10 years. "It keeps me going," he says, "and the rest of them come because of me. Most of us live alone and don't have much else to do in the evenings." He has lived alone since his wife died in 1980. They were married for 37 years and had one daughter, who he says visits him periodically. Mr. Roth was born in Austria and moved to the Lower East Side with his mother and brother in 1920, when he was 10 years old.

FRANCES DIAZ
When Frances Diaz began to lose her eyesight in 1990, her life changed dramatically. She had to quit her job of 25 years and rely on disability benefits. "I was so depressed and frightened," she recalls. "I had been a career person since I was very young, and there I was without a job and feeling so helpless." She found out about Grand Street's Grand Coalition of Seniors, and decided to enroll in the program so that she could be around people. "Program staff were kind and sympathetic," she says, "but most of all they were encouraging." With their assistance she gradually came out of her shell. In 1993, Ms. Diaz enrolled as a student at the Borough of Manhattan Community College where she earned an Associate of Arts degree. "It was a major accomplishment for me and I now use my knowledge and skills to help others," she says proudly. Ms. Diaz served as Secretary of the Coalition's Advisory Council and later was elected Vice-President, a post she held for three years.

Ms. Diaz is active with the program's intergenerational initiative at P.S. 140, where she works with pre-school and kindergarten children. She loves to play basketball with other Grand Coalition seniors, and looks forward to having lunch every weekday at the Settlement.

Ms. Diaz calls Grand Street "the blessing of the neighborhood," and says it is a place where seniors are treated with dignity and respect. "It's been a beacon in my life." She has lived in the Lower East Side for 45 years. Her daughters participated in Grand Street's Youth Employment Program when they were teenagers and some of her grandchildren have attended the agency's Afterschool Latchkey and Summer Day Camp Programs.

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