Connecticut Community Foundation’s latest grants to area nonprofits total $75,500
Computer training and bus trips. An intergenerational family weekend. Classes on nutrition, art, and muscle strengthening. A town conversation on aging. Gardening materials for planting and harvesting their own food. These are among the programs and services funded through Connecticut Community Foundation’s new grant awards—totaling $75,500—to 16 nonprofit organizations that serve older people in Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills.
Among the grantees is the Goshen Community Care and Hospice Center, which received a $6,000 grant to serve monthly luncheons and provide health information for the town’s older residents. The program, almost entirely volunteer-run, provides free, nutritious meals for older people while they learn from guest speakers on topics including fall prevention, pet therapy, safety precautions and how to handle emergencies. The meals are served at the Church of Christ Congregational in Goshen.
Said Debbie DiPietro, coordinator of Center, “The luncheons help us keep an eye on the health and welfare of older people in Goshen and learn about their needs.”
The benefits of the program have been many. She noted that a talk on safety by a local fireman prompted many older people to purchase carbon monoxide detectors, and one older woman applied techniques learned from a talk by a physical therapist to recover from a fall. More people have learned how to prepare balanced meals on a budget.
“In Connecticut, the percentage of people age 65 and older is rapidly growing, and through our grantmaking we aim to help towns and nonprofit organizations prepare for that shift. Most importantly, we want to help older people in Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills age in their own homes and communities for the highest quality of life possible,” said Julie Loughran, president and CEO of Connecticut Community Foundation.
View the full list of the Foundation’s newest grantees serving older adults.
