The Greene County Senior Services Fund Board and the Community Foundation of the Ozarks awarded $80,109 in grants this week for projects that improve the well being of senior citizens in Greene County.
The Greene County Senior Services Fund Board was created after county voters in 2005 approved a levy of $0.05 per $100 of assessed valuation to provide services to residents aged 60 and over. The CFO’s portion of the funding is made possible by donors who have made gifts designated for the well being of senior citizens.
Senior Services Fund Board Vice President Denny Pilant said that after the passage, the group worked with Missouri State University to survey seniors and their top priority was to be able to stay in their homes as long as they could safely do so. That became a goal of grantmaking to improve health, nutrition and quality of life for Greene County residents ages 60 and above.
Pilant and CFO Board Chair presented the six grants to the following agencies:
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Ash Grove Sunshine Center received $25,919.12 for its senior outreach programming, including purchase of a generator to protect and cook food at the center, which is also a heating and cooling center. “This became even more important after last year’s grant funded a walk-in cooler and freezer. We certainly don’t want to lose that food,” said Mary Ann Dixon, second from left, with Dee Smith, Ruth Grant, and Kay Jarvis.
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CoxHealth Foundation also received a $12,750 grant for assessments of clients with Alzheimer’s or related dementia diseases in a trial project in using skilled nurses and social workers. “This will also equip and empower families to manage the challenging behaviors that Alzheimer’s patients will demonstrate,” said Shallina Bowers, who accepted the grant with Keith Morris.
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Ozarks Public Television/Missouri State University received $10,000 to produce informational programming directed toward issues facing seniors. OPT reaches about 80,000 viewers over 65 in the Springfield region each week, which comprises about 50 percent of the prime-time audience. The public-service announcements will focus on services available to seniors.
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CoxHealth Foundation will use its $14,040 grant for Lifeline monitoring service for Oxford Health to help the most vulnerable seniors stay home. Shallina Bowers told a story of an 86-year-old farmer who is successfully living at home and farming even with a seizure disorder. He had a seizure during the heat-wave last year and help arrived in time thanks to the Lifeline monitoring. “This need continues to be overwhelming and we continue to have a waiting list,” she said, accepting the grant with Keith Morris.
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ARC of the Ozarks received $15,000 for services for clients in the day habilitation support programming that helps seniors with disabilities stay more active with ideas like chair-based exercises and an inflatable bath chair that they can use to lower themselves into a bathtub. “As we age, our mobility is sometimes limited, and if you have a disability, it is even moreso,” said ARC’s Julie Guillebeau, second from left, who accepted the grant with Leslie Boughton.
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The Ash Grove Food Pantry will use its $2,400 grant to purchase the type of food needed for homebound seniors and put together meals based on smaller portions appropriate for seniors. “We want to make sure they have quality food to help their quality of life,” said Deanna Monnig, second from left, who accepted the grant with Joyce Brooks, Ronnie Monnig, Viv West and Bob West.
