Tonia Moore, a long-time advocate for senior citizens, was honored by the South Orange Village Council on Monday night with a proclamation celebrating her public service and commitment to making the Village an age-friendly community.
The proclamation states that as chair of the South Orange Senior Citizens Advisory Committee from 2019 through December 2025, Moore provided “steady leadership, thoughtful guidance and unwavering advocacy on behalf of the senior residents,” and “demonstrated a deep commitment to making South Orange a safer, more accessible and more welcoming community for seniors.”
Friends, family and members of the advisory committee, along with some of Moore’s yoga students, packed the Council room on Monday, March 9, to applaud the work she has done to help seniors feel they could stay and age in South Orange.
“Tonia Moore has not just been an activist and an inspiration, but really a dear friend to so many people in elected office for what seems like a lifetime,” Mayor Sheena Collum told the audience. “…This is a very special night.”
Tonia Moore, holding the proclamation with Mayor Sheena Collum, poses with family, friends and the Village Council, who honored her a proclamation for her years of public service. (Photo by Laura Griffin)
Visibly moved by the outpouring of accolades, Moore thanked her family and friends who attended and thanked Collum for creating the advisory committee, which she said has made a big difference for senior citizens in town.
“The importance of that committee was that it showed that the town cared about what seniors thought, what they wanted and that is very, very significant,” Moore said. “When I came here 13 years ago, there really wasn’t much for seniors here.”
Moore championed improvements such as the installation of handrails on the Sloan Street steps and benches along South Orange Avenue. The proclamation states that Moore also “fostered innovative intergenerational programming,” and “supported initiatives that reflect both environmental responsibility and community care, including the Repair Café, where volunteers repair broken household items at no cost, reducing waste while assisting residents.”
Moore also serves as a volunteer with the Friends of the South Orange Public Library, where she has helped with planning and fundraising for the new library, and as a docent at the Essex County Turtle Back Zoo.
Moore’s husband Ed told the audience that in the 50-plus years of their marriage, Moore has always volunteered in some capacity wherever they lived. When she retired, he said, she added more volunteer work and also got certified to teach yoga, which she continues to do at the Baird.
Collum also mentioned that in 2017, the Village had been compelled by Tonia Moore and other members of the advisory committee to go after a sizable grant to help with the efforts to make South Orange more age-friendly. When Collum went to a workshop about applying for the grant, she said, Moore was already there.
“She had the same idea that in order to scale this, we had to be much bigger than an advisory committee or social group,” Collum said, adding that Village leaders, including Moore, realized they needed to embed intergenerational programming into the Village’s Master Plan and look at the Village through “the lens of seniors” when it comes to developing housing or thinking about walkability and transportation. All that led to the development of Two Towns for All Ages, in partnership with Maplewood.
“So I can confidently say, after probably a million dollars of investment over that time, that it has changed the fabric and infrastructure of South Orange,” Collum said. “And. …it seems like you’ve been sprinkled in everything that is good in this community, far beyond just serving senior citizens.”
Moore said, “there are people who are moving in here all the time to be close to their grandchildren. And now, with the new Baird under [Director of Recreation and Cultural Affairs] Matt Gray, and all the things that the Baird offers people in this town, and with the new library on the horizon, this is a really terrific town for residents of any age, and I appreciate it.”
Read more about Moore in this 2024 Village Green profile.
