Two College alumni were recently honored at the 20th Annual John J. Duncan Sr. Awards for Senior Advocacy. Gabrielle Blake received the Professional Recipient Award and Cynthia Finch received the Community Recipient Award.
Blake is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with Franklin & Kyle Elder Law where she has worked since 2010. Finch launched the non-profit, New Direction Health Care Solutions in 2017, which focuses on innovative approaches of dealing with health care disparities for people of color and consulting work for new start-up businesses.
Blake is a Certified Dementia Practitioner by the National Council for Certified Dementia Practitioners. Blake is active in the Knox County community, regularly presenting at workshops and educational events that serve seniors. She is the chair of the advisory board of the Senior Companion Program. She serves on the board of directors of Random Acts of Flowers, is President of the Tennessee Society of Health Care Social Workers and a member of the Purple Cities Alliance. Blake also volunteers with Girl Scouts, Alzheimer’s Tennessee, the Daily Living Center, and Beacon of Hope. For over 20 years, she has devoted herself to serving vulnerable elders in the community and to serving the professionals and the many agencies supporting older adults.
Finch’s volunteer work includes serving on the Boards of the East Knoxville Free Medical Clinic, Knoxville Branch of the NAACP, Building Bridges Readmission Coalition, Tennessee Society of Health Care Social Workers, Knoxville Case Management Society, Tennessee Association of Home Care – Hospice Task Force and more. Finch’s most recent work during the pandemic involved COVID testing and hosting numerous vaccine clinics. Her work has been instrumental in getting over 80,000+ people tested, vaccinated, and educated. Finch initiated a weekly faith leader update meeting to help faith leaders make informed decisions on keeping their congregation safe during the pandemic. The group has grown to over 180 people across the state.
