This former music teacher envisions a possible expansion in both the lyrics and the orchestration of Senior Services of Alexandria.
Gwen C. Mullen, the new executive director, hopes to expand the mission of the organization and encourage the board of directors to embark on a visioning project that "could frame the issues for what Senior Services could become."
At her first annual meeting on June 19, since taking over the helm on May 1, Mullen suggested adding to the mission statement the words "and purpose." In her view, "This could transform what we do here."
Senior Services' mission statement now reads: "To provide accessible, comprehensive and affordable services to Seniors within the City of Alexandria and adjacent areas and to promote the independence and self-sufficiency that enable seniors to age with dignity in their own community."
It is her hope that the words "and purpose" will eventually be added after the word "dignity." As she explained, "We all need to have purpose in our lives. And this would enable us to expand our constituency."
Mullen's belief in this concept grew out of a conversation she and her husband, John, had with his 96-year-old father this past February. As she related in her remarks during the annual meeting, during a hospital visit with him after a near fatal heart attack, he conveyed to them that he did not want to just survive but rather, "I want to have a purpose."
When asked, "You mean you want to have a purpose instead of just waiting to die?" his answer was "yes."
To Mullen that was a profound "confirmation of what we all know — that everyone needs to have a purpose." She then said, "My vision for Senior Services includes proposing to the board that we expand the mission statement" to include that commitment.
BUT SHE WAS adamant that this not only begins a dialogue within the board but also "begins a community discussion about what Senior Services should be. During the coming year, we will be exploring what the vision for Senior Services will be," she told the annual gathering. "We have been working very hard on a strategic plan, but not much has been done on visioning. That's where I hope to have us concentrate now."
Dr. George A. Pera, a member of Senior Services' board, echoed her sentiment to look at and analyze the organization's future. "We have to keep revisiting what we do at Senior Services," he said. "There is a lot of fear among many on fixed incomes. We are always in the position of having to examine who we are and where we are going."
Judy Drewry, who served as chair of the Search Committee when Mullen was chosen to succeed Susan L. Dawson after her resignation as Senior Services' executive director, said, "I like the idea of embarking on visioning. It's a very ambitious plan.
"I have been very impressed with her [Mullen’s] drive and experience. She brings so much background with her years as executive director of the scholarship fund."
PRIOR TO JOINING Senior Services, Mullen served for eight years as financial aid officer and executive director of The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria. In her final year, the fund awarded almost $300,000 in scholarships.
A native of Austin, Minn., Mullen is a graduate of Carlton College in Northfield, Minn., with a degree in music and holds an M.M. from Northwestern University. From there she went to Cambridge, Mass., to teach music at Wellesley Junior High School. It was there she met her husband, who was a student at Harvard Law School.
When he came to Washington to work for the Agency for International Development, she became a music teacher in Arlington. When their two children reached school age, Mullen joined Time Life Books in editorial research and administration, where she remained for 13 years.
"I wanted to get back into education. That's when I got the position with the City Scholarship Fund," Mullen explained.
"I'm trying to frame the issues for what Senior Services could become. Should we be the coordinator for a myriad services? Should Senior Services be the focal point for all groups providing services to seniors?" she asked.
Mullen suggested three ideas for what could become part of the vision:. (1) one-stop shopping for services; (2) taking services to seniors where they live; and (3) acting as a community focal point for all nonprofits offering services and programs in this arena.
SHORTLY AFTER taking her new position, Mullen went to visit Iona Senior Services in northwest Washington on advice that she should see how such an organization operates "as a well-oiled machine." After her visit Mullen admitted, "I immediately understood what the Administration on Aging means when they promote one-stop shopping for service delivery nationally."
Mullen explained, "Iona offers a wide range of aging programs in one accessible and senior-friendly community center. In addition, it currently is the recipient of a grant that provides them with expert consultants who are helping them develop sustainability by creating an independent for-profit venture in elder-care consulting."
She then questioned, "Is this Iona ... model a vision for Senior Services? Should Senior Services expand its constituency by becoming a family-friendly resource that will support their efforts in caring for their older relatives? Should part of the vision ... be to act as broker for services that could be brought to seniors where they live?"
All this and more should keep not only Mullen immersed in "the vision thing," as former President George H. Bush used to refer to it, but also the Senior Services Board of Directors.
"The city has already done a needs assessment for Alexandria's elderly, and this will play a major role in our vision," Mullen said.
SHE IS ALSO LOOKING at the possibility of working in concert with Arlington and possibly expanding services there. In her address at the annual meeting, she raised the possibility of a regional organization offering services through a central Senior Services facility.
Serving as a guiding principle to all this is one simple goal, which she explained in concluding her remarks. She told the story of Itzhak Perlman, the concert violin virtuoso, who, during a concert in 1995 broke a string.
Instead of asking for a new violin, Perlman merely removed the string, nodded to the conductor to continue, and played the entire concerto on three strings. Following the thunderous applause at the conclusion, he quieted the audience and explained, "You know there are times when an artist's task is to find out how much music you can make with what you have left."
Mullen cited this example to drive home her point, "As advocates for the aging, I believe our challenge is to engage and enable seniors to discover how much they can do with what they have left."