Volunteer Opportunities
The Age Friendly Coalition is a group of volunteers who meet once a month at the San Mateo Senior Center. We assist the city in implementing the Age Friendly Action Plan, https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/89585/Age-Friendly-San-Mateo-Action-Plan?bidId= , and advocate for implementation of the goals for older adults set forth in the San Mateo General Plan 2040, https://strivesanmateo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/StriveSanMateo_GP2040_Adopted_3-18-2024_Web.pdf.
We welcome volunteers to help with one of our projects and/or to join the Coalition as members. Coalition members work on current projects, help generate new ideas for future Age-Friendly projects, and advocate for programs, services and policies benefitting older adults and their families.
Current Projects in Need of Volunteers
Age Friendly Business Certification - Verifications
We are looking for a few seniors willing and able to visit local businesses to evaluate them against a set of Age-Friendly criteria. This is a key element of a new City Age-Friendly Business Certification program being piloted. A short training session on the criteria and process is involved. The schedule and number of hours are flexible. If you are comfortable interacting constructively with business owners on issues important to seniors and want to help our city’s businesses meet older adults’ needs, this may be for you. For more information about this opportunity, please email Vince Siminitus at siminitus.vince@gmail.com.
Intergenerational Games for Healthy Aging
As part of the Coalition’s intergenerational games pilot project we are connecting young people with residents of senior living communities to spend an afternoon playing games. We are looking for volunteers to help with arranging and conducting afternoon game events at senior living facilities.
We also are planning several intergenerational trivia events. If you have experience preparing questions for such events or are willing to learn how to do it, please consider volunteering with us. Email monikapleyer@gmail.com for more information.
Social Media and News Bulletin Publication
As of November 2024, the Coalition has published 33 News Bulletins about services and programs that may be of interest to older adults in San Mateo. The News Bulletins are emailed to more than 60 local organizations for inclusion in newsletters they publish for their members. We would like to make this information available to more San Mateo families. If you have skills in working with social media, websites and/or newsletter publication you might enjoy helping us achieve this goal. Email monikapleyer@gmail.com for more information.
Our Team
Joyce Burns
I have volunteered since Girl Scout days, assisted in our children’s schools, Girl Scout troop leader, tutor Project Read, peer counselor with Peninsula Family Service, volunteer/member of Villages of San Mateo County
I taught elementary school, had a home day care for school age kids, was an orthodontic office manager
I was born in San Francisco, moved to San Mateo as a child and still here, graduated from Hillsdale High School, College of San Mateo and San Francisco State. Married to Leo for 61 years, raised two children in San Mateo
Monika Lee
Founding member of the San Mateo Age Friendly Task Force and continuous engagement in the efforts to make San Mateo a more age friendly community. Current chair of the San Mateo County Commission on Aging, member of the boards of Ombudsman Services of San Mateo County and Villages of San Mateo County. Former member of the San Mateo Senior Citizen Commission.
Economist (Ph.D. 1980) and attorney (J.D. 1984) practicing commercial litigation in San Francisco and San Mateo until retirement in 2022.
I was born and raised in Germany; lived in the same house in San Mateo since 1986 with husband Mark; two daughters and two grandchildren.
Peace Corps teacher in India; BHNA - membership & hospitality; Bayfront clean-up regular; San Mateo Garden Center since 2006; Age Friendly Coalition since 2019 focus group - helped build the database for the distribution of monthly Age Friendly news articles; proposed the Age Friendly trifold brochure for information about city services.
B.S. (Business), M.A.T. (Special Ed.). Worked in accounting, taught in pre-school, elementary and high school, and community college; co-owner of a small business supplying enzymes to university researchers; retired in 2006.
Born in New Jersey; lived in CA 40+ years; also lived in PA, NY, IL, KS, HI, and India; married, 2 children, 2 grandchildren; like gardening, train-rides, and sci-fi.
Kaye Sharma
Original 2019 Age-Friendly Task Force Member. Led Safe Pedestrian Walkways for Seniors – and Everyone and Age Friendly Business Certification projects. Chaired Peninsula Family YMCA Board and is President of his mostly senior HOA, providing first hand insight in to senior needs in our community
Chemist/MBA with career in pharmaceutical/Biotech management. Retired as Sr. Director, Global Quality at Genentech in 2006. Core Team member for implementing enterprise software systems.
Philadelphia area native, 33-year San Mateo resident. Married to Jackie 51 years, Raised two children here.
Vince Siminitus
Ellen joined Age-Friendly Task Force (now Age-Friendly Coalition) in 2020 editing San Mateo's application to AARP and later editing the Age-Friendly Action Plan 2022-25. She is in her second term as a member of San Mateo's Senior Advisory Commission (formerly Senior Citizens Commission) serving as 2024-25 vice chair and 2023-2024 chair. She volunteers at the Kids Closet of Samaritan House. In previous community and civic volunteer roles, Ellen has served as a member and chair of San Mateo's Personnel Board, board member and treasurer of the Beresford Hillsdale Neighborhood Association and as a docent in the Lane Education Center at Edgewood County Park.
After short careers in banking and public accounting, Ellen enjoyed a successful and satisfying career as Controller/Finance Director at The Carey School and then Charles Armstrong School.
Ellen grew up in Rochester, New York. As an MBA/CPA she moved to the Bay Area for better opportunities. Married to Jeffrey and resident of San Mateo for 39 years. They raised one son here.