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Community Corner

Statewide Award Shines Light on Oak Park Township Senior Services Director

A sweet woman who owned a bakery was the first senior Desiree Scully-Simpkins worked with.

Her name was Emily Albano, and she was one of 11-year-old Desiree’s grandmothers. Along with Desiree’s parents, Eugene and Marie, Grandma Emily operated Albano Bake Shop in Elmwood Park.

Scully-Simpkins also worked for another set of grandparents who owned a diner in Chicago. Those roots are fitting: for the past 20 years, including 12 years as director, Scully-Simpkins has treated her efforts at Oak Park Township Senior Services as an extended family affair.

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That passion for serving seniors has drawn notice. In November, she was recognized as Senior Director of the Year by the Illinois Township Association of Senior Citizen Services Committee (ITASCSC).

The award was presented at the Township Officials of Illinois conference in Springfield.

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“It’s very special to get recognized for the work that you do and the work you believe in,” Scully-Simpkins said. “I still love coming to work every day.”

In 1992, Scully-Simpkins began as a case manager, then became a case manager supervisor with the township. Finding that she thoroughly enjoyed working with seniors, she built on her bachelor’s degree in psychology by earning a Master’s degree in gerontology from Concordia University in River Forest. Thereafter, in 2001, she was appointed director.

Senior services offers a range of support to promote the independence of older adults, including transportation, dining services and care giving. Among other day-to-day challenges, there have been recent declines in economic grants provided by the state and federal governments.

“But when you know that you’re there to take care of the older adults and to advocate for them in the community, those obstacles don’t seem so large,” said Scully-Simpkins.

Scully-Simpkins gains satisfaction from meeting the needs of seniors—and the more challenging the need, the more determined she gets.

For example, one woman, who had been born with cerebral palsy, was insistent that she never wanted to live in a nursing home, even after her parents and, later, uncle passed away.

Scully-Simpkins developed a creative care plan, in collaboration with the Illinois Department on Aging, to enable her to remain home for the final eight years of her life. Among other steps, she obtained a reverse mortgage on her home, generating the income to employ a private caregiver during evenings.

“When she passed away, we were her only contact to the outside world,” Scully-Simpkins recalled. “We picked out the coffin, picked out the plot and planned her funeral. It’s truly something that touches your heart when you know you’re it. She was happy and she told me every time she talked to me how grateful she was to stay home.”

Scully-Simpkins blends professionalism and personable warmth, noted Sally Fuhrmann, senior director of Rich Township, which spans all or parts of nine villages in the southern part of Cook County.

“She is very good at researching her information and always comes to our ITASCSC meetings with changes in senior services that she hears about. She is in tune with what is going on legislatively with senior issues” said Fuhrmann. “She’s very, very personable and friendly—she gets along with everybody—and she really cares about her seniors.”

ITASCSC President Tracey Colagrossi said Simpkins-Scully has been a mentor to her. Previously, Simpkins-Scully served as ITASCSC president for five years.

“I can always go to her for guidance and support…..she’s a huge asset, she’s the go-to gal,” said Colagrossi, program manager of Hanover Township Senior Services. “She’s always willing to help out other senior programs that have a question.”

ITASCSC was officially recognized by the Township Officials in 1982 and formed as a result of township representatives meeting to address the need to enhance senior services for the growing number of seniors in their communities.

ITASCSC sponsors satellite sessions and informational programs on issues that affect older adults at the Township Officials of Illinois Educational Conference.

Scully-Simpkins is also a founding board member and secretary of the Celebrating Seniors Coalition. Established in 2010 by Jim Flanagan, chairman of the Oak Park Township Senior Services Board, the not-for-profit organization’s goals include changing the way people think about aging, encouraging cooperation among stakeholders that serve seniors, and raising funds for seniors at risk. 

The group is holding its third annual Celebrating Seniors Week in May. The weeklong events in 2011 and 2012 were held in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park, and the concept may spread to other communities in the area this year.

“Celebrating Seniors has given me a great opportunity to work with different agencies that I would not normally be sitting at the table with,” Scully-Simpkins said. “It’s very exciting and invigorating. It’s renewed my faith that we can all work together—government bodies, the private sector and not-for-profits.”

For more information, please visit http://www.oakparktownship.org or http://www.celebratingseniors.net.

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