Jewish Heritage Foundation Announces Grants to Organizations Serving Older Adults
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: January 10, 2008 Contact: Cathy Boyer-Shesol Senior Program Officer 816-561-0563; cathy@jhf.org Tracey Mershon 816-478-6299; tracey@mershonandmcdonald.com
Jewish Heritage Foundation Announces Grants to Organizations Serving Older Adults
Focus on Projects and Programs Impacting Older Adults Is a First for the Foundation
Kansas City, MO: The Jewish Heritage Foundation of Greater Kansas City is pleased to announce 11 grants totaling $405,038 as a part of its inaugural 2007 Older Adult Grantmaking Program. The grants represent the Foundation’s first investments over the next five years to support organizations assisting older adults and develop long-term solutions for an underserved population in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
“We are delighted and proud to make these grants to the nonprofit sector serving older adults,” said Board President Daniel Scharf, M.D. “Our new focus on older adult programs is a strategic effort to help identify critical solutions and improve the quality of life for a burgeoning population in our community.”
The 2007 grants represent a variety of nonprofit organizations in the five-county, bi-state Greater Kansas City area and address critical areas including transportation, housing, and community connection. The largest grant is $75,000 to the Center for Practical Bioethics for a comprehensive plan to create a care and services component of their Aging in Place model. Several grants will support the expansion of services and capacity while other grants will help develop strategic plans and best practices for future metropolitan infrastructure needs.
The decision to prioritize older adult programs came after a strategic planning effort in 2006 by the Board of Directors. Research showed that in the Kansas City area a small fraction of philanthropic dollars are awarded to nonprofits serving older adults. For example, of the16 agencies and funders surveyed, only two specified older adults as a priority area. In 2007, 3 percent of United Way’s allocation was targeted to senior services.
Research and demographic information show a growing demand for services and programs targeted at older adults. According to the United Way of Greater Kansas City, one in 10 (11 percent) of the current population in the six-county region is currently age 65 and older. This number is expected to double in the next 20 years. Nationally, more than 8,000 people in the U.S. will turn 60 each day for the next 19 years, according to the Foundation on Aging. The implications of this “silver tsunami” on housing, health care, transportation, workforce demands and other needs will be astounding.
Below is a list of the 2007 inaugural older adult grant recipients, the grant amount and a brief description of the program:
Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St Joseph $15,000 Funds to develop the capacity of the Senior Express Program, a volunteer transportation program
Center for Practical Bioethics $75,000 Funds to develop a comprehensive plan to establish a collaborative Aging in Place model for the Greater Kansas City region
Foundation on Aging $30,000 Funds to expand the Supporting Caregivers of Older Adults Initiative, designed to assist older adults remain independent by leveraging employer resources and communication technologies for family caregivers
Friends of Johnson County Nursing Home/ Geriatric Education Resource & Training Institute (GERTI) $52,888 Funds to expand the capacity of the Geriatric Education Resource & Training Institute (GERTI); subsidize registration at 2008 ASA/NCOA (American Society on Aging/National Council on Aging) 2008 National Conference; and organizational development consultation services
Harvesters – The Community Food Network $40,000 Funds to expand the Senior Mobile Food Pantry Program
Kansas City Community Gardens $15,000 Funds to support the Self-Help Gardening Outreach Program for low-income seniors
Mr. Goodcents Foundation $40,000 Funding for a planning grant to develop the infrastructure for a “Senior Mobility Network”
NorthWest Communities Development Corporation $52,000 Funds to build the capacity of the Northwest Independence Senior Program, and to subsidize registration at the 2008 ASA/NCOA 2008 National Conference
Shepherd’s Center of Kansas City Central $8,150 Partial funding related to merger costs with Shepherd’s Center of Shawnee Mission and to support the agency’s strategic planning efforts.
Shepherd’s Center of Kansas City Kansas $50,000 To fund the planning phase of a Next Chapter™/Civic Engagement Initiative for Wyandotte County
University of Missouri-Kansas City $27,000 Funding to support a geriatric workforce development initiative, and support enhancements to Center for Aging Studies marketing efforts.
The Older Adult Grantmaking Program represents 17 percent of the Foundation’s $2.6 million in contributions made in 2007. Approximately two-thirds of its total contributions are allocated to program, core agency support and congregational grants in the Kansas City Jewish community. The rest is dedicated to general community organizations.
2008 Grant Application Deadlines The Jewish Heritage Foundation also announces the 2008 grant application deadlines for its two grant categories: grants supporting nonprofit Jewish organizations and grants supporting general community nonprofit organizations.
For nonprofit Jewish nonprofit organizations, both program and core agency support grants are available. The application deadline is Mon., March 3, 2008.
For general community nonprofit organizations, two subcategories are available. The deadline for general community core applications is Mon., May 5, 2008. The Letter of Inquiry deadline for the Older Adult Grant Program is Mon., June 2, 2008.
For more information about the grant application process, go to www.jhf-kc.org.
The Jewish Heritage Foundation of Greater Kansas City was created in 1994 with the sale of Menorah Hospital to Health Midwest. Over the past 12 years, the Foundation has dedicated itself to improving the quality of life to the citizens of the Greater Kansas City metropolitan area through its support of the area agencies who serve them.
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Who Are We?
For immediate Release Date: November 8, 2007 Contact: Jim Courtney, Executive Director
Fast Facts Mr. Goodcents Foundation For Senior Independence
PURPOSE: The role of charitable foundations is to create ‘outcomes’ that improve the lives of people. The Mr. Goodcents Foundation For Senior Independence was formed to create outcomes that help senior adults live and enjoy life.
FOCUS SR. MOBILITY: The Mr. Goodcents Foundation realized the scope of outcomes that could be achieved to improve the lives of senior adults was enormous. The Foundation saw the challenge - choosing a place to start.
Research identified the number one challenge to senior independence as mobility. The lives of senior adults are seriously impacted when driving safely is no longer an option. For without mobility, isolation and depression may lead to serious illness and potentially death.
FACTS: The U.S. is experiencing the largest graying of America in history with ‘facts’ that will change the very fabric of our communities – • 80 million Baby Boomers were followed by 60 million in Generation X, the family model of ‘children caring for parents’ will face serious challenges. • On average, men outlive their ability to drive safely by 6 years and women by 10 years. • Senior adults will be working longer for economic and social reasons placing new challenges on job access.
STRATEGY – GOOD RIDES: Sometimes a Foundation chooses to promote a ‘strategy’ to achieve an ‘outcome.’
The Mr. Goodcents Foundation is recognized as an expert in Sr. Mobility. The status as an ‘expert’ resulted from public/private partnerships at the community ‘grass roots’ level asking how senior adults want to move about the community and creating ‘outcomes.’ One outcome is a ‘strategy’ for community public transit – Good Rides!
Good Rides is a proven strategy for rural, suburban or urban communities focusing on moving senior adults based on their abilities. The strategy follows simple processes: 1. Community commitment and action to discover senior adult mobility needs. 2. Research to identify services, needs, solutions and funding sources. 3. Community commitment to fund the mobility solution (outcome). 4. Monitoring, refining and expanding the mobility outcome as needed.
OUTCOMES: Eight communities have completed the ‘Good Rides’ strategy and are providing services that on an annual basis exceed $1 million dollars. These communities are leading the way for all communities but time is limited.
Time – literally thousands of communities remain facing the ‘facts’ of aging and need a strategy to give senior independence. Mr. Goodcents Foundation is seeking to reach all communities in time.
ADDED BENEFITS: Good Rides is an amazing strategy for communities because not only does it help senior adults, communities have found added benefits: • Because 1 in 3 senior adults lives with a disability, communities can expand Good Rides to help all persons with disabilities. • Because senior adults have needs to help with packages, high schools can create community service projects to ride with the seniors, carry packages, do minor shopping and socialize. The senior adults love it because they don’t have to remember if it is the same story they told yesterday for it is a new student. • Community Public Transit enhances regional public transit as people have more ways to reach connections. • Community Public Transit reduces the need to drive creating a better environment as fewer vehicles are creating green house gases. • Community Public Transit enhances land management options as living; shopping; and social venues can be placed on smaller land footprints preserving more ‘green’ space.
SUMMARY: The Mr. Goodcents Foundation has discovered that by working at the community level to build ‘outcomes’ that improve the lives of senior adults we help communities build ‘outcomes’ that help the entire community. For more information, visit www.mrgoodcentsfoundation.org or contact: Mr. Goodcents Foundation 8997 Commerce Drive De Soto, KS 66018 913-583-8444
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