From the Executive Director
Hello and Happy Spring!
The Sarah Ralston Foundation is gearing up for our next round of General Operating Support grants. The deadline for applications is fast approaching (April 1st), and the recipients will be notified on May 31st. We are excited to continue to fund nonprofits who assist the underserved, vulnerable elders of Philadelphia.
The Sarah Ralston Foundation exists not only to fund our partners, but also to amplify their missions, hard work, and impact. To that end, we would like to use this “quieter” time in our grant cycle to familiarize you with some of our nonprofit partners by spotlighting their outstanding work, and by sharing information about their upcoming events (trainings, 5K’s, galas, webinars, etc.) that are open to anyone interested in participating. Please take a moment to learn more about all that is being done to help this marginalized population!
I look forward to attending the American Society on Aging (ASA) Conference next week in San Francisco, titled “On Aging 2024”. The event marks the 70th anniversary of the American Society on Aging and brings together professionals in the field to improve the lives of older adults. I will share any relevant information in a future newsletter!
Thank you for always being a supporter of our work and for being part of a community that respects and cares for our elders.
With gratitude,
Lynette Killen
Executive Director
In Their Own Words: Spotlighting Our Nonprofit Partners
In each edition of our Newsletter, we will spotlight a few of our nonprofit partner organizations, giving you the chance to get to know them and their transformational work. To learn about all of our nonprofit partners, please visit our directory.
Mission: Center in the Park promotes positive aging and fosters community connections for older adults whose voices are critical instruments in shaping its activities and direction.
Executive Director: Reneé C. Cunningham, MSS has been with Center in the Park in various capacities for 24 years. She became Executive Director, the 4th in CIP’s 56-year history in June 2018. Reneé has a Master of Social Service degree from Bryn Mawr’s Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. She currently serves on the Mayor’s Commission on Aging and recently became president of the Pennsylvania Association of Senior Centers. Reneé is a strong advocate for older adults and the agencies that serve them.
What are your greatest needs at this moment? Right now, CIP is recruiting for new volunteers! We are seeking artists and art teachers to lead various classes and workshops, marketing professionals to lend their time and talents to refresh their printed materials, and those with a green thumb who would like to help re-establish and maintain the garden areas around the Center.
Please share a success story: CIP has become a “one-stop shop” where people age 55+ can give back to the community, learn a new skill, exercise, have a meal, and find assistance all under the same roof. Recently someone reached out for information about affordable housing. We were able to provide some housing lists, but also, to provide information about LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program) and other utility assistance programs. After having such a positive experience with those programs, she decided to join the Center and now participates in several classes and events.
Website: centerintheparkphila.org
Mission: The African Family Health Organization (AFAHO) is a non-profit, ethnic, community-based organization that supports African and Caribbean immigrants and refugees to access critical health, human and educational programs in the greater Philadelphia area. We work to mitigate barriers, strengthen community health culture and facilitate social integration through the utilization of a unique peer support model that uses shared language, cultural expertise, advocacy and system navigation knowledge to help individuals and families overcome social determinants, build community connections, gain skills and knowledge and gain access to information and resources needed to improve their life outcomes.
Executive Director: Oni Richards currently serves as the Executive Director of the African Family Health Organization (AFAHO) where she has innovatively led the expansion and growth of the organization to holistically serve the health, social and educational needs of African and Caribbean immigrant and refugee communities in greater Philadelphia. She brings more than ten years of public health, management and community building experience to the position. She was nominated and selected to receive the Harvard Business School Club of Philadelphia’s scholarship to attend the Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives for Non-Profit Management (SPNM) program where she further sharpened her administrative and management skills.
What are your greatest needs at this moment? Addressing housing and food insecurity among our clients are some of the greatest needs at the moment. Requests at our food bank have increased by 170% and we have a waiting list of clients needing rental assistance. Additionally, the organization is in search of a new office space within Southwest Philadelphia to support all of the programs we currently offer where both staff and clients can be comfortable.
Please share a success story: A young woman showed up at AFAHO’s offices early one morning with a note from a local well-known hospital informing her to seek care at AFAHO as they could no longer assist her since she was uninsured. She was also bleeding heavily; the original reason she sought emergency care at this local hospital. Our caring staff comforted her during a nearly 4-hour intake process (it took this long due to the physical and emotional state she was in), made several calls to find a healthcare provider that would see her and accompanied her to this provider. She was eventually able to get the procedure needed due to the advocacy of AFAHO’s staff and is now healthy and strong. This is just one example of the amazing work done by AFAHO’s staff every day, where people who are scared, ill, going through tough times etc come to a place that is their safety net where they are treated with dignity and respect.
Website: afaho.org
Mission: Health Federation of Philadelphia serves as a keystone supporting a network of Community Health Centers as well as the broader base of public and private-sector organizations that deliver healthcare, public health and human services to vulnerable populations. We take a collaborative approach to promoting health by:
- Improving access to and quality of healthcare
- Developing stronger linkages for better coordination of care
- Identifying, testing and implementing solutions to health disparities
- Providing training and technical assistance to help other organizations operate more efficiently and effectively to meet community needs
Executive Director: Natalie Levkovich has held the position of CEO of the Health Federation of Philadelphia since 1987, and served as director of program development for three years prior to that. During this tenure, she has led a number of notable, community-oriented, collaborative public health initiatives, and has overseen the organization’s growth from a budget of approximately $200,000 to more than $40 million.
What are your greatest needs at this moment? Our greatest need at the moment is resources for staff professional development, a high priority and often difficult to fund. We have an incredibly talented and hard working staff and investing in their growth is an explicit goal at Health Federation.
Please share a success story: We have so many success stories that we could share. I think the thing of which I am particularly proud is the longevity of the relationships we have with our partner community health centers and their engagement in so many of the programs and services that we offer to them — training and consultation aimed at enhancing quality, access, scope and efficiency of the comprehensive, integrated primary care that they provide to more than a quarter-million lower income Philadelphians. We have similarly long-standing relationships with our funders, business partners and staff, which, to my mind, is an indicator of organizational integrity.
Website: healthfederation.org
Nonprofit Partners in the News
Generations on Line in the Philadelphia Inquirer:
And in the Philadelphia Tribune:
Connectedly (formerly SOWN) was spotlighted in the Philadelphia Citizen (with a quote from Sarah Ralston Foundation’s Executive Director, Lynette Killen.)
Events
To view our nonprofit partners’ spring events, click here.
