Last Updated: April 4, 2023 by ritnppa

2023 Category: Multimedia

First Place: Kayla Bartkowski

Allen Lee is an 87-year-old grandfather, father, and husband. He has always been very independent, being the oldest of three and coming to the United States alone in 1961. He left behind in Taiwan his fiance, parents, and three siblings to further his education and help support them financially. His fiance came to the US one year later, where they married and settled down in Rochester, N.Y., in 1966.
He found a love for pickleball in 2008 at the Eastside YMCA, which has allowed him to stay active as well as feel young.
Unfortunately, in 2012, he was diagnosed with stage 3 stomach cancer. Throughout the treatments, he learned the importance of being able to let go and depend on others and his faith to survive.

Honorable Mention: Daniel Sarch

After the death of her son, Wendyll “Lamont” Jones, 46, to a drug overdose in May 2022, Priscilla Richardson learns to cope with this loss. Through spirituality and the raising of her grandchildren, Richardson attempts to carry on his legacy by living on and doing what she can to keep Lamont’s name alive.

Honorable Mention: Georgia Pressley

Janis Baylis is a constant seeker of her own joy. “I’ve been so happy for, well, the past 32 years that it’s hard for me to even remember being unhappy,” says Baylis. She is an artist and custom jewelry designer in Rochester, N.Y. Her hair is dyed rainbow colors, she is on her third marriage, and she is the boss of her own craft studio. Despite being older, she doesn’t let her age limit her mission to be a constant seeker of joy.

Category: 2023 What We Do, Contests Tags: Georgia Pressley, Kayla Bartkowski