Sylvia McBride brings extraordinary knowledge and passion to SBSS’ advocacy program

Since humans first began to contemplate the nature of existence, we’ve always marveled at the mystery of the path that life holds for us. Where will our individual path take us?   Poets and philosophers have written beautiful verse about “…the road less traveled” and the “…song of the open road.” 

Sylvia McBride is someone who provides an inspiring example about that road, with all of its twists, turns, challenges and adventures. As one of the volunteer leaders of SBSS’s AGEnts for Change, Sylvia is at the vanguard of the community-based efforts to improve the needs of our aging population. She brings to this group an incredible wealth of personal and professional experience, and a passion to get things done.

Sylvia’s unlikely path to becoming one of the leading voices for LA’s two million older adults began in Mexico City, where she was born into a family of seven children. The family moved to the U.S. when she was three years old. Her father worked as an engineer for International Telephone & Telegraph (ITT), which led the family to New Jersey and to Indiana.  As if in a plot from a comedy movie, the family’s viewing of Disneyland on television caused them to follow the old Route 66 to California, where they settled first in Anaheim and then in Los Angeles.  Her mother worked in real estate as southern California was going through its rapid transition from endless citrus groves to one of the country’s largest metropolitan areas.

Sylvia’s early career path included working on the National Yellow Pages directory and then for 10 years as a reservations sales agent with TWA. “It was a great time,” she reminisces, “I got to travel all over the world.”

She left the workforce when she got married. Her husband was an engineer with Parsons Corporation in Pasadena, but their marriage was tragically cut short after six years when he passed away from lung cancer, leaving Sylvia with a four-and-a-half year-old son.

“I learned to survive as a single mother.  I followed the school of advice that cautioned against trying to find what you want, but rather to look at the market. So, I went the practical route.” Back in the workforce, Sylvia began to work at Caltech in Pasadena, where she co-authored an article in the campus magazine.  This article became a springboard for a career in technical writing. She spent many years as a technical writer, producing engineering and environmental impact reports, with a team of engineers and scientists.

Writing in fact was close to her heart, but not the technical sort found on this “practical route.” Sylvia holds a deep love for literature, especially 19th century romanticism. She earned a Masters Degree in English, in addition to a Masters in Environmental Studies, and taught English as an adjunct instructor at junior colleges. “It was my way to extend my love of literature.” She also writes poetry.

Sylvia’s path to SBSS stemmed indirectly from the loss of her husband. She had joined a widow and widowers group through the Griffith Park Adult Community Center (GPACC).  From there she became involved in the Board of the Griffith Park Adult Community Center. “The involvement was huge for me. It was also there that I met Stephanie Vendig, GPACC-co-founder, who became a mentor.   Stephanie introduced me to SBSS.”

SBSS offered the opportunity to get involved at a much deeper level of civic participation, by attending a multitude of meaningful activities, to connect with and influence political and social leaders. “There are so many dimensions to it:  participating in conferences, meeting with the coalition members, with the LA County Board of Supervisors, and with the City leaders to address critical issues like affordable housing and homelessness.” Sylvia enjoyed attending the SBSS Annual Aging Into the Future Conference, and AARP’s and Metro’s Annual Conferences, and especially providing input on the Statewide Master Plan on Aging, going to Sacramento to talk with legislators about including senior considerations in the Master Plan. “Being a part of SBSS has given me a window to a wider world,” says Sylvia. 

Sylva credits the culture of the AGEnts group supported and managed by SBSS for achieving as much as it has. “We’re a small group, and we’re very close.  Brandi Orton (SBSS Director of Government Relations & Advocacy) is a brilliant leader.  We’re bound in a common purpose.  I realized that the impact of this group was tremendous.”

As she looks at the current landscape for older adults, Sylvia sees signs of some hopeful progress.  She credits the Los Angeles Department of Aging for enabling the Nutrition Program which delivers low-cost hot meals to seniors, and the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, for its inner-city Wellness Programs, and for providing a multitude of recreational, social and educational opportunities for older adults at numerous citywide locations.   Sylvia particularly credits Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti with leading the Purposeful Aging Los Angeles Initiative, (PALA) which she believes is critical to creating liveable cities for citizens of any age. In fact, it’s the intergenerational aspect of this vision that is most inspiring to her. “Cohousing in particular offers a practical solution for many aging issues, including the financial burden of housing, keeping older adults actively engaged in the community, and possibly helping to close the gaps of access to preventative and acute healthcare.”

Still, there are huge challenges that aren’t easy to fix. “I worry about the changes to the family. We’ve lost the extended family, and we don’t have the facilities to accommodate everyone, especially because they’re too expensive. There aren’t enough caretakers. We need to increase the workforce in caregiving and healthcare. There just aren’t enough resources.”

Luckily for all of us, we have Sylvia on the frontlines, sharing her experience, knowledge and perspective to help make the path of aging better for everyone. “SBSS has opened up my life a lot.  I’m seeing so much in the city I never would have seen. It’s hard for me to believe I’m part of something so grand.”

We think it’s grand that Sylvia is helping to lead SBSS on our path.