Boston Age Strong Commission Honors Volunteers, Bids Farewell to Six-Year Program Leader

BOSTON — July 22, 2026 — Boston's Age Strong Commission celebrated senior volunteers and marked a staff departure at its annual JoyFest event July 22 on the Lawn on D at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Commissioner Emily Shea and Mayor Janie addressed a crowd of AmeriCorps RSVP and Senior Companion volunteers, praising them for producing more than 500 masks during the pandemic and calling Boston's senior population among the most vaccinated in the city. The mayor used the occasion to urge Pfizer vaccine recipients to pursue available booster shots, noting Age Strong can deliver doses directly to community members. The speaking program's emotional peak came when Shea announced that Tyesha Jones-Horner, who led the volunteer programs for six years, was departing for a position with the city's Department of Innovation and Technology; Shea read aloud a letter from Mal Coles, Acting Chief Executive Officer of AmeriCorps, calling Jones-Horner's work "a high level of professionalism, innovation, and dedication for seniors in your community."