ArchCare Senior Life’s celebration honored participants who represented different chapters in the growth of its Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), from those who have belonged for more than 15 years to a 104-year-old who still lives at home. The program has one common goal: helping older adults receive the care they need while continuing to live in their communities. 

The Tuesday, Oct. 20 event marked 1,000 participants at PACE Bronx Center, as New York prepares for a rapidly growing older adult population and rising demand for community-based long-term care. 

“There isn’t another program that takes every need someone has and coordinates that care for them and their family,” said Scott LaRue, president and CEO of ArchCare. “PACE provides more than clinical care. It provides socialization, friendships, and a place where participants belong.” 

LaRue, who helped introduce PACE into ArchCare’s mission, said the organization reached the 1,000-participant milestone 17 years after opening its first center and is already looking to continue its growth. “We’re going to get to 2,000 in the next five years,” LaRue said. 

READ: ArchCare Gala Honors Msgr. Joseph LaMorte, James Palazza, and Dr. Peyman Younesi 

The celebration put the participants behind the milestone at its center, recognizing some of ArchCare Senior Life’s longest-standing participants, its oldest participant, and the individual who became participant No. 1,000. 

Antonia Arroyo and her brother, Israel Malave, have participated in PACE together since 2010. Today, the brother-and-sister duo continues to receive support from the program while enjoying meaningful leisure activities at home. 

The program also recognized Enid McGibbon, the program’s oldest participant, at 104. McGibbon continues to live at home, where she enjoys singing and staying physically active with exercise videos. 

The Office of Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson presented ArchCare Senior Life with a proclamation recognizing the milestone and the program’s continued service to older adults throughout the borough. 

“Today’s celebration represents so much more than just a number,” said Millicent Matos, deputy director of community affairs for the Bronx borough president. “It represents 1,000 individuals whose lives have been touched by compassionate care, 1,000 stories, and 1,000 families who have received support.” 

“What makes PACE Bronx truly special isn’t just how much we’ve grown over the years, but the people who remain committed to making a difference in our participants’ lives every single day,” said Eunice Maxwell, program director of ArchCare Senior Life PACE Bronx. “It’s more than a program. It’s a community built on compassion, commitment, and service.”