2015's CCHOAA WINNER:
Jack and Emily Robarts

For the past 17 years, an outstanding elder person living year-round in Florida has received the C. Colburn Hardy Older Advocate Award for statewide advocacy efforts demonstrating vision and leadership regarding the future of the growing elder population in Florida. This year, for the first time, the award goes to a pair of advocates from Palm Beach County.

Following their retirement in 1997 as Massachusetts public school administrators, Jack and Emily Robarts became involved with the Alzheimer's Association of South Florida in charge of public policy. They trained volunteers and led groups to Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. in support of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers. Pulling from personal experiences, Jack testified before Congress to call attention to the special concerns of this rapidly growing group.

Their leadership in the establishment of the Partnership for Aging (PFA) of Palm Beach County and their continued involvement with the Alzheimer's Association has been priceless to the hundreds of thousands of families in Florida coping with Alzheimer's disease. The Robarts also worked with the Volen Center, an agency serving seniors and families in South Palm Beach County, training advocates, contacting policymakers and speaking out on behalf of the needs of the senior population in Florida.

Jack and Emily have continued their grassroots advocacy efforts through their service on the Advisory Committee of the Area Agency on Aging of Palm Beach/Treasure Coast, Inc. Jack was president for six years, and both currently serve as Honorary Advisory Council members. As active members of the Legislative Affairs Committee, they teach other council members the value of advocacy as it relates to the interests of seniors and the growing wait list for services.

Carole Green, former Secretary of the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, joined Florida Department of Elder Affairs Secretary Sam Verghese and United Way of Florida President Ted Granger to make the presentation to the Robarts at a reception for Florida Senior Day partners. Ms. Green, a member of the C. Colburn Hardy Older Advocate Award Selection Committee, represented the Honorable Dorcas Hardy, C. Colburn Hardy's daughter, who was unable to attend due to travel-related issues from the Blizzard of 2016. "Jack and Emily Robarts, extraordinary State advocates for seniors, represent the spirit of the C. Colburn Hardy Older Advocate Award. In particular, their focused and tireless commitment to improving the lives of Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers across the Nation and Florida reflect my Father's vision of volunteer advocacy," said Hardy.

C. Colburn Hardy was a community leader and author of numerous financial publications. In addition to being a long-standing member of the Florida Council on Aging, an active supporter of Florida's area agencies on aging, a member of the Claude Pepper Commission, White House Conferences on Aging and volunteer legislative lobbyist, Hardy served as a New Jersey State legislator and was a World War II veteran. It is in his honor and the memory of his spirit, service and accomplishments that the award was established by his family and friends.

FloridaSeniorDay.org, (January 27, 2016) hosted by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs and the United Way of Florida, honors Florida's 4.8 million seniors and to allow those who care about the future of Florida seniors to have their voices heard.

For the past four years, Humana, Florida's largest Medicare health benefits company with nearly a million members statewide, has been a sponsor of the C. Colburn Hardy Older Advocate Award. Humana, which last year launched initiatives in Tampa Bay and Broward County to improve the health of those communities by 20 percent by 2020, has long supported programs that recognize the advocacy and volunteer work of seniors in the community. The Robarts have selected the Area Agency on Aging of Palm Beach/Treasure Coast, Inc. to receive Humana's generous contribution.