Lifelong executive director to retire in 2021

In a letter to the community earlier this month, Lucia Sacco, executive director of Lifelong, announced her retirement. In January 2021, current Associate Director Liza Burger will take over as executive director, leading the nonprofit as it continues to provide programs and services for elderly residents during COVID-19.

Sacco has worked at Lifelong for eight years and has been executive director for five years, a position she described in her letter as her “dream job.” Burger has worked at Lifelong for over two years, originally coming on to lead two of its programs — Health Insurance Information Counseling and Assistance Program (HIICAP) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) — and has worked her way up to associate director.

Prior to her work at Lifelong, Burger worked as a director of social work for skilled nursing facilities and provided social work consulting services in New York and Michigan. In her letter, Sacco said that that experience was a big reason why she chose Burger to lead HIICAP and TCE, and Burger exceeded her expectations.

“Under her leadership, these two key programs have flourished,” Sacco said. “She’s established strong connections with community partners, increased the number of volunteers for both programs, continually meets or exceeds goals set for her and has become very important to Lifelong, to the seniors we serve and to the volunteers in her programs.”

Burger said that Lifelong provided her the opportunity to continue to pursue her passion for advocating for and supporting older adults, an interest solidified when she was earning her master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan.

“When I decided to go to grad school at the University of Michigan to pursue an MSW, part of their program was very appealing to me in that they offered a Specialist in Aging certificate, and the classes that I took for that program convinced me to continue working with older adults in some capacity,” she said.

Burger described what her beginning months at Lifelong were like.

“Coming to Lifelong just prior to Medicare’s annual open enrollment period involved a big learning curve because I had to really have a crash course in all things Medicare,” she said. “I was a newbie who needed to develop expertise on a complex topic — and fast — as volunteers occasionally looked to me for guidance when faced with questions on the many tricky aspects of Medicare. It was so different from the work that I was doing previously in some ways, but in other ways, it still afforded me the opportunity to help people feel more empowered, this time in relation to their own health care choices, and I’ve come to love the work.”

Throughout her history at Lifelong, Burger said that what she has enjoyed most is the people.

“The board is supportive, and the staff are incredibly good at what they do,” she said. “The volunteers that I’ve worked with are so committed to being involved in our programs and willing to take on new tasks, and the members themselves inspire us to come up with new ideas to be better in our jobs and provide programming that’s meaningful for them.”

In her letter, Sacco also voiced her gratitude for her staff and community members for helping support the nonprofit through the pandemic. Like many area nonprofits, Lifelong has faced its fair share of challenges during the pandemic, but Sacco said that Lifelong has managed to weather the storm. She highlighted the many successes the organization has had despite the difficult times it’s faced.

“From paying off a substantial line of credit and balancing our budget to consolidating our operation to 119 W. Court St., Lifelong is on solid ground,” she said. “Our programming has increased, our community partnerships have grown, and, perhaps best of all, when people walk through our doors, they feel welcomed and supported.”

During the pandemic, Lifelong secured two grants to replace computers in its computer lab and to replace staff computers with laptops. While Lifelong did have to furlough staff and limit staff hours due to the pandemic, its financial situation is strong, Sacco said. Burger added that the staff has transitioned most of Lifelong’s usual programming to a virtual setting and recently brought back a couple of in-person classes to its building in Ithaca.

“We’ve had to learn as a staff all the ins and outs of Zoom and virtual presentations, but many of our members have learned this along with us and have jumped in and been able to participate,” she said.

When describing the upcoming leadership change, Sacco said that retirement has been “calling” her for quite some time, and she’s now answering that call. Reflecting on her time at Lifelong overall, Sacco said that she’d miss her team the most.

“Everyone should be so lucky as to have a team like mine,” she said. “To say I’m grateful to them is a gross understatement. … Professionally, I feel blessed to have worked with such a smart and committed team. Personally, they’ve seen me through thick and thin, and I’ll never have the words to adequately thank them for that.”

The feeling is mutual, Burger explained.

“Lucia is one of the reasons why we all like to go to work in the morning,” she said. “I know that I can speak for our board, staff and members alike in saying that she’s really been a bright spot for the organization. Lucia has made Lifelong a place that’s not only welcoming and inviting for our members and volunteers, but she also has set a tone of support for the staff. And that, in turn, has really made me want to do my best work for Lifelong.”

Moving forward, Burger expects the beginning months of her new role to be filled with plenty of “listening and learning.” She said that Lifelong is already working on its spring catalog and will be introducing a few new services that she’s excited to help lead.

“We’re already anticipating that, at least during the first part of 2021, we will have to continue to be especially cautious and have opportunities for people to connect virtually,” Burger said. “I think it’s a good time for us to take a close look at everything that we’ve been doing as a whole at Lifelong and make sure that we’re well equipped to gradually welcome folks back into the building.”

On Lifelong’s agenda for the coming weeks and months is collaborating with the Tompkins County Office for the Aging so that Lifelong’s members can connect with Sr. Planet, a hotline that provides free assistance with technology. In addition, sparked by an idea from a board member, Lifelong is planning to initiate a “Lifelong Lifeline,” a telephone connection to offer encouraging words to residents and help ward off feelings of isolation.

Beyond these efforts, Burger said she’s looking forward to continuing Lifelong’s mission in the community.

“I have gotten to work closely with staff and volunteers in my programs, so they have a sense of what I’m about, and I’m anticipating that, in my new role, I’ll have more of an opportunity to get to know more of our membership as we start to open up a little bit,” she said. “I’m also looking forward to having a chance to collaborate with other community organizations, as there are so many accomplished leaders in our community with whom we might share ideas.”

Sacco will stay with Lifelong through the end of the year and will assist in a smooth transition next month.

For more information about the Lifelong Lifeline, contact Burger at 607-273-1511 or lburger@tclifelong.org. If interested in learning more about the free TCE program, Lifelong’s appointment line will be open starting Jan. 4 by calling 607-279-6617. Visit Lifelong in Ithaca at 119 W. Court St. or online at tclifelong.org.