Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1482969
At Health Projects Center, we seek to create a com- munity where people age at home with dignity and good health. We believe that nobody should have to live in an institution. Our team works locally to help people receive supportive health and social services in the least restrictive environment possible. Health Projects Center is a non-profit corporation based in Santa Cruz that has served the Monterey Bay Region since 1980. To help people age at home with dignity and good health, we work on four levels: • We provide care man- agement and supportive services for people who could be in a skilled nursing facility, but prefer to live in the community. We help people to stay at home-- where they and their families want them to be. • We deliver comprehen- sive supportive services for family caregivers in the community. In the United States, over 80% of long-term care services are provided by a family caregiver. Through our services, we help guide local caregivers through their caregiving journey. • We support and train health care professionals to work in communi- ty-based settings that help keep people out of institutions. There is a se- vere health care provider shortage—especially among those trained in geriatrics and serving in community-based settings. • We assist people living in long-term care institutions to transition to community-based living. One in twelve people living in skilled nursing facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic have died of COVID-19. That is why we are ask- ing for your support. With your donation, we will expand our work to help people age safely at home with dignity. We will manage health care and supportive services for medically frail, low‐ income elders. We will support family caregivers to provide quality care to their loved ones and resourses to take care of their own physical and mental health. We will transition low-income people from institutional living to home. We will strengthen the healthcare workforce to address geri- atrics and in‐home care management. Health Projects Center saves local families and government money by keeping people at home. The American Council on Aging reports that in 2021 the average annual cost of a shared room in a skilled nursing facility in Santa Cruz County was $127,750. In comparison, Health Project Center's care management that supports people to live at home costs $3,627 per person annually. If all of Health Project Center's combined activities keep only 30 people out of long-term care institutions each year, we will save families and the govern- ment over $3.8 million. That is equivalent to the total annual budget for Health Projects Center. If you share our vision, please donate generously to Health Projects Center. With your assistance, we A ovember is nearly upon us and al- ready, we find ourselves enveloped in the Holiday Season. The tinsel, glitter, and endless supply of holiday knick- knacks have arrived on store shelves and carols will soon begin playing over loud speakers all across America. For those seeking a deeper meaning this sea- son, it is also that won- derful time of year for the spirit of generosity and giving to take center stage. "Our phone lines al- ways pick up this time of year with community members and business- es looking for new ways to connect and make their holiday celebra- tions more meaningful," states Christina Thurston Volunteer Engagement Director at the Volun- teer Center of Santa Cruz County. To meet this annual increased interest in vol- unteerism, each year the Volunteer Center of San- ta Cruz County posts an online Holiday Volunteer Guide. The 2019 Holiday Guide is now available on their website at www. scvolunteercenter.org. Individuals can register to volunteer directly on- line or they can down- load the guide. Listed in the guide, are a variety of holiday related op- portunities available throughout the County between now and New Year's. "We regularly update the guide throughout the holiday season as new projects become available, so we encour- age folks to check back regularly or give us a call if they can't find what they are looking for and we are happy to match them with an opportu- nity," states Thurston. Included in the guide is the Volunteer Center's own Adopt a Family Proj- ect. This project has been running for nearly 30 years and supports fami- lies struggling to make ends meet during the holidays. Each year the Volunteer Center part- ners with 25 fellow non- profits on this project to meet the needs of 450 families. Partner non-profits provide the project with a short bio about each family and a list of the items that each family member requests. Adopt a Family Project volun- teers then set to work connecting these families with willing donors. Re- quests include basic ne- cessities like sheets, tow- els, or shoes along with special gift requests for the children. "For many of us the holidays are such a joy- ous time with family and friends, but for local families that are strug- gling, this is instead a stressful time of year. It is truly heartbreaking to read through our binder of family stories and to know that without this project these children might not have warm jacket, let alone gifts or toys," states Thurston. "The project has successfully maintained with the support local businesses, munity members, willing volunteers so many years. we are confident this generosity will through again, chosen to increase number of families serve and are also porating isolated and independent into our list of adoptees this year," continues Thurston. This holiday season, you can give the gi of changing lives. Nowhere else in Santa Cruz County will your donation have such a wide impact. CommunityBridges.org/Donate 10 programs 20 sites across Santa Cruz County from Ben Lomond to Watsonville Feeding and mentoring 10,000 infants and youth 7,700 hours of crisis support for families Providing 62,000 free rides and 160,000 meals for seniors Aging at Home with Dignity and Good Health continues b y J o h n B e l e u t z , E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r , H e a l t h P r o j e c t s C e n t e r N ovember is nearly upon us and al- ready, we find ourselves enveloped in the Holiday Season. The tinsel, glitter, and endless supply of holiday knick- knacks have arrived on store shelves and carols will soon begin playing over loud speakers all across America. For those seeking a deeper meaning this sea- son, it is also that won- derful time of year for the spirit of generosity and giving to take center stage. "Our phone lines al- ways pick up this time of year with community members and business- es looking for new ways to connect and make their holiday celebra- tions more meaningful," states Christina Thurston Volunteer Engagement Director at the Volun- teer Center of Santa Cruz County. To meet this annual increased interest in vol- unteerism, each year the Volunteer Center of San- ta Cruz County posts an online Holiday Volunteer Guide. The 2019 Holiday Guide is now available on their website at www. scvolunteercenter.org. Individuals can register to volunteer directly on- line or they can down- load the guide. Listed in the guide, are a variety of holiday related op- portunities available throughout the County between now and New Year's. "We regularly update the guide throughout the holiday season as new projects become available, so we encour- age folks to check back regularly or give us a call if they can't find what they are looking for and we are happy to match them with an opportu- nity," states Thurston. Included in the guide is the Volunteer Center's own Adopt a Family Proj- ect. This project has been running for nearly 30 years and supports fami- lies struggling to make ends meet during the holidays. Each year the Volunteer Center part- ners with 25 fellow non- profits on this project to meet the needs of 450 families. Partner non-profits provide the project with a short bio about each family and a list of the items that each family member requests. Adopt a Family Project volun- teers then set to work connecting these families with willing donors. Re- quests include basic ne- cessities like sheets, tow- els, or shoes along with special gift requests for the children. "For many of us the holidays are such a joy- ous time with family and friends, but for local families that are strug- gling, this is instead a stressful time of year. It is truly heartbreaking to read through our binder of family stories and to know that without this project these children might not have warm jacket, let alone gifts or toys," states Thurston. "The project has been successfully maintained with the support of our local businesses, com- munity members, and willing volunteers for so many years. Because we are confident that this generosity will shine through again, we've chosen to increase the number of families we serve and are also incor- porating isolated seniors and independent teens into our list of adoptees this year," continues Thurston. Holiday Giving A SALuTE TO THE VITAL NoNprofit ORGANIzATIONS IN OuR COmmuNITY This holiday season, you can give the gi of changing lives. Nowhere else in Santa Cruz County will your donation have such a wide impact. CommunityBridges.org/Donate 10 programs 20 sites across Santa Cruz County from Ben Lomond to Watsonville Feeding and mentoring 10,000 infants and youth 7,700 hours of crisis support for families Providing 62,000 free rides and 160,000 meals for seniors Ready to Give Back This Holiday Season continues on C 3 A d e r t i s i n g S u p p l e m e n t b y V o l u n t e e r C e n t e r o f S a n t a C r u z C o u n t y has been maintained of our com- members, and volunteers for Because confident that will shine we've increase the families we incor- seniors teens adoptees continues lives. impact. programs County Watsonville 10,000 youth support families and seniors continues on C 3 A ovember is nearly upon us and al- ready, we find ourselves enveloped in the Holiday Season. The tinsel, glitter, and endless supply of holiday knick- knacks have arrived on store shelves and carols will soon begin playing over loud speakers all across America. For those seeking a deeper meaning this sea- son, it is also that won- derful time of year for the spirit of generosity and giving to take center stage. "Our phone lines al- ways pick up this time of year with community members and business- es looking for new ways to connect and make their holiday celebra- tions more meaningful," states Christina Thurston Volunteer Engagement Director at the Volun- teer Center of Santa Cruz County. To meet this annual increased interest in vol- unteerism, each year the Volunteer Center of San- ta Cruz County posts an online Holiday Volunteer Guide. The 2019 Holiday Guide is now available on their website at www. scvolunteercenter.org. Individuals can register to volunteer directly on- line or they can down- load the guide. Listed in the guide, are a variety of holiday related op- portunities available throughout the County between now and New Year's. "We regularly update the guide throughout the holiday season as new projects become available, so we encour- age folks to check back regularly or give us a call if they can't find what they are looking for and we are happy to match them with an opportu- nity," states Thurston. Included in the guide is the Volunteer Center's own Adopt a Family Proj- ect. This project has been running for nearly 30 years and supports fami- lies struggling to make ends meet during the holidays. Each year the Volunteer Center part- ners with 25 fellow non- profits on this project to meet the needs of 450 families. Partner non-profits provide the project with a short bio about each family and a list of the items that each family member requests. Adopt a Family Project volun- teers then set to work connecting these families with willing donors. Re- quests include basic ne- cessities like sheets, tow- els, or shoes along with special gift requests for the children. "For many of us the holidays are such a joy- ous time with family and friends, but for local families that are strug- gling, this is instead a stressful time of year. It is truly heartbreaking to read through our binder of family stories and to know that without this project these children might not have warm jacket, let alone gifts or toys," states Thurston. "The project has been successfully maintained with the support of our local businesses, com- munity members, and willing volunteers for so many years. Because we are confident that this generosity will shine through again, we've chosen to increase the number of families we serve and are also incor- porating isolated seniors and independent teens into our list of adoptees this year," continues Thurston. This holiday season, you can give the gi of changing lives. Nowhere else in Santa Cruz County will your donation have such a wide impact. CommunityBridges.org/Donate 10 programs 20 sites across Santa Cruz County from Ben Lomond to Watsonville Feeding and mentoring 10,000 infants and youth 7,700 hours of crisis support for families Providing 62,000 free rides and 160,000 meals for seniors Aging at Home with Dignity and Good Health continues on C 3 b y J o h n B e l e u t z , E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r , H e a l t h P r o j e c t s C e n t e r will keep people safe at home. Please call John Beleu- tz, Executive Director at (831)471-8010 for more information on how you can help us fulfill our mission. You can also visit www.hpcn.org/sup- port to donate directly. Families struggling with financial challenges always appreciate gas and grocery cards. Every little bit helps, so when we have them, we hand out gift cards to families throughout the year. Help us grow our bank of gift cards by donating today! Our families love to shop at Target, Walmart, Safeway and Foodmaxx. Gas cards can come from any station within our service area (Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito and South Santa Clara counties.) You can make a difference in the life of a child with cancer this holiday season. Donate $25 Gas and Grocery Cards to support families Learn more at jacobsheart.org/holidayhearts Our team is here to help make your Holiday Giving Joyful and Easy www.cfscc.org