Piper Trust Awards Grants Totaling $1.8 Million to 14 Nonprofit Organizations

2 Programs for Older Adults Help Prevent Falls, Implement Caregiver Support

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (September 21, 2005) – The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust today announced 14 grant awards totaling more than $1.8 million to nonprofit organizations serving Maricopa County. Among the grants are two programs for older adults that bring national models to Valley residents.

"Arizona has always been known for innovative programs for older adults. The Trust is delighted to introduce two national models that will continue that tradition,” said Judy Jolley Mohraz, president and CEO of The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust.

Maricopa County will be the first in the country to pilot a Falls Prevention Program based on a national plan the National Council on Aging developed. Arizona ranks fifth in the nation for falls-related deaths, and 9,758 people were admitted last year to Arizona hospitals due to falls. These numbers led Mesa-based Good Shepherd Villa to develop a pilot based on the national program to educate older adults about the risks for falling and how to reduce these risks. If successful, the Trust may expand the program to other centers across the Valley.

Another grant totaling $310,600 will introduce a national self-care program for family caregivers providing at-home care for older adults. Implemented by Evanston, Ill.-based Mather LifeWays and offered in 15 states, the project will train 95 professionals in the Valley to teach the six-week Powerful Tools for Caregivers program to 1,000 family caregivers during the next two years. Mather LifeWays is working in cooperation with the Area Agency on Aging to bring the program to the Valley.

“These programs address two critical needs for older adults and those who care for them,” noted Carol Kratz, senior program officer for the Piper Trust. “By bringing these model programs to the Valley, the nonprofit community and the Trust are partnering to help older adults remain injury free and independent for as long as possible.”

Another program that supports caregivers at the earliest stages of life was awarded $150,000 to provide training and support services to family child care providers in the Valley. The Association for Supportive Child Care’s Kith and Kin Project will provide comprehensive child safety trainings for 500 providers each year and distribute critical child safety equipment that helps in-home providers better care for young children.

Four organizations that are providing innovative programs for young learners also received grants. The Chandler Education Foundation will use a $47,500 grant to develop a curriculum to teach migrant parents of preschoolers how to prepare their children to enter school ready-to-learn; the Camp Fire Council of Greater Arizona, Inc. received $182,200 to deliver afterschool tutoring programs for disadvantaged students at three Glendale elementary schools; $96,000 was awarded to McLean Hospital for the New 3R’s Project, a reading remediation program for third and fourth graders that was piloted at two Valley elementary schools and will now expand; and $75,000 was awarded to the Back-To-School Clothing Drive Association, which provides school clothing and supplies to more than 10,000 needy students annually.

Five grants were awarded to help nonprofits become more effective. The Arizona Opera and Ballet Arizona were awarded $250,000 and $200,000, respectively, to increase their working capital reserve funds. Additionally, Desert Foothills Musicfest was awarded $60,000 to build new audiences through expanded marketing initiatives. The Trust also supported a $50,000 grant to the Arizona Community Foundation to help establish an Arizona Hispanic Funders’ Collaborative that will provide both financial and technical support to smaller Maricopa County nonprofits led by Hispanics or that serve Hispanic populations. An innovative program developed by the Arts & Business Council of Greater Phoenix, the Business on Board Program, received $143,800 for marketing and technology upgrades.

In the area of healthcare and medical research, two grants were awarded: Lions Vision Center, Inc. received $110,000, and The EAR Foundation of Arizona received $78,200.