When Evelyn Blissett first started working as an Information Specialist in 1973 at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, she knew how important her 1199SEIU benefits were to her. Over the years, her appreciation continued to grow as her 1199SEIU benefits supported her through each stage of her life. The mother of three, she credited her health benefits with giving her the peace of mind of knowing that she and her children could get the care they needed when they needed it. Evelyn relied on her child-care benefits to provide her two boys with confidence–building camp opportunities and her daughter with a summer job through the 1199SEIU/Employer Child Care Corporation’s Youth Mentoring Program, which not only earned her a paycheck but gave her valuable real–life work experience.

And now, as a retiree, Evelyn is especially aware of the value of her defined benefit pension. “Social Security doesn’t cover all of my expenses, so without my pension I don’t know how I’d stay afloat,” she said. “But when I add my pension and Social Security benefits together, I even have a little extra to help my grandchildren.”

These days, Evelyn stays active as the chairperson of the 1199SEIU Mattie Small Retirees Chapter in Brooklyn, encouraging her fellow retirees to take advantage of all the classes and activities the Retired Members Division (RMD) offers, to help them stay connected. Evelyn’s favorite is the RMD choral group. “I just love to sing,” she said, “and joining my 1199SEIU family in such a joyful way is so much fun.”

And it’s her defined benefit pension that allows her to enjoy it all, free from worry: “Now, more than ever,” Evelyn said, “I feel very fortunate to be a part of 1199SEIU.”