AKWESASNE — A U.S. senator on Thursday afternoon visited two locations that help to serve the oldest and youngest members of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe.

Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., met with tribal officials and residents at two stops during her visits to Akwesasne, starting with a speaking appearance at the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe Senior Center, and ending with a tour of the Akwesasne Boys & Girls Club.

During her visit to the senior center, Gillibrand talked about a five-point master plan on aging, developed with the help of an aging working group made up of 66 people, to help ensure that senior citizens can age with both dignity and financial security.

“When you look at how a society cares for its older adults, it gives you insight into its values,” Gillibrand said. “That’s why I convened leaders across New York to form an aging working group dedicated to finding real solutions to the many challenges older Americans face.”

The plan focuses on the need to ensure the right to affordable healthy meals, to guarantee the right to affordable health care and prescription drugs, to protect social security, to guarantee the right of seniors to age in place, and to make investments in age-friendly spaces and employment opportunities.

“The Master Plan on Aging has solutions to help older Americans navigate everything from housing and food insecurity to skyrocketing health care costs, insufficient retirement savings and elder abuse,” Gillibrand said. “Nearly a third of the population here in Franklin County is age 50 and older, and many New Yorkers across the state are facing similar challenges.”

She said the purpose of the master plan is to ensure that there is legislation to address the issues faced by older Americans on a day-to-day basis.

“We understand that for older Americans there are a lot of impediments to aging in place, to getting the health care and services you need, to making sure you have food security,” Gillibrand said. “We want to show older Americans that we not only care about them but we want them to not just survive, but thrive.”

St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Chief Michael L. Conners described the day as a historic event, explaining that in most cases, tribal officials have to travel to Massena or other areas outside Akwesasne to meet with elected representatives.

“For the first time in recent memory we welcome a U.S. senator to our community,” Conners said.

Lora Lee LaFrance, director of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe Office for the Aging, said having a master plan for aging is important to all of the community’s residents, regardless of their current age.

“One of the important things we need to realize is a master plan for aging isn’t only for the older adults we serve now, but it is also to ensure older adults of the future also have the resources, so they can live a long, happy, and enjoyable life,” LaFrance said.

Becky Preve, executive director of the Association on Aging in New York, said there are 59 office for the aging locations around the state.

“New York state is fourth in the nation for 60-plus population, but we run the largest nutrition program in the country, that’s something we are really proud of,” Preve said.

Gillibrand’s second stop in Akwesasne was the Boys & Girls Club, where she received a tour from Jessica Cree Jock, executive director, and met the club’s children.

The club has raised about $5.4 million toward the construction of a new community center to be located on Margaret Terrance Memorial Way. The club’s current location is on Roosevelt Highway, where it has been for the past 22 years.

Gillibrand helped to secure $1 million in federal funding to go toward the new community center in Akwesasne.

According to Cree Jock, plans to build a new community center have been in the works for approximately eight years.

“Eight years ago we started the strategic planning process and as part of that the kids said we needed a new building and we agreed with them,” Cree Jock said.

The club’s current location was originally one story but the roof was raised to add additional space.

“Our foundation can’t handle that so we have had some foundation issues and a multitude of other issues, we knew we needed to start a capital project,” Cree Jock said.

Cree Jock said that due to inflation and the rising costs of building materials, the club is asking for additional federal funding.

“Our project, two years ago was estimated to cost $7.4 million. Now it is over $9 million,” Cree Jock said.

Cree Jock said the plan is to break ground at the community center’s new location this year.

“24 months after we break ground we should be able to open the doors,” Cree Jock said.