ROZ KOO REACHES OUT TO FRIENDS SHE DOES NOT NECESSARILY KNOW WELL

Roz Koo, 92-years-old, gets help from Letty Avena (right) as she prepares to read a book in the garden courtyard of her apartment building on Thursday, May 14, 2020 in San Mateo, California. Photo: Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

Koo helped found Self-Help for the Elderly’s San Mateo senior center. During our present Coronavirus Epidemic, Self-Help has closed their physical spaces, but they still deliver food to those who need it. And they offer Connection From a Distance. Koo and eight (or so) others have split the duty of calling 1,000 of the center’s users. They have another 100 to go. They speak to them in Mandarin or Cantonese or English. “Mostly they appreciate someone calling them. I tell them this all will pass, and we can come back to the senior center again. Something to look forward to.”

Roz is also Co-Founder of the The 1990 Institute <www.1990Institute.org>

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