Piper Trust Awards Grants Totaling Nearly $1.3 Million to 15 Maricopa County Organizations

Grants Support Dental Services to Underserved Populations

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (June 17, 2005) – The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust today announced grant awards totaling nearly $1.2 million to 14 Valley nonprofit organizations. Additionally, the Trust awarded a $100,000 grant that was announced earlier in June to the United Phoenix Fire Fighters Association, Inc. for its Adopt-A-Fence program.

Among the recent grants are two that support improved dental services to underserved populations. “There is a tremendous need for dental services for special populations in the Valley,” says Judy Jolley Mohraz, president and CEO of the Piper Trust. “The requirements of children with special needs as well as homeless older adults are complex and involved. These programs fill voids in the community.”

The A.T. Still University of Health Sciences, Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health in Mesa, which U.S. News and World Report ranks in the top 20 of all osteopathic or allopathic medical schools in the United States, received $268,000 to purchase dental equipment to treat children with special needs at its new state-of-the-art dental clinic in the East Valley. The surgical suite will be the first in the Valley with the equipment and expertise to treat special needs children. Included in the grant is a $135,000 challenge grant to raise matching funds for the purchase of a specialized X-ray machine that rapidly and accurately provides a complete CT scan of the head and neck region – a tool essential for dentists dealing with the complexities presented by special needs patients.

The Trust also awarded $66,500 to Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS) for one dental operatory for older homeless adults in the new CASS Dental Clinic that will be located on the Human Services Campus. CASS is the only organization in the Valley offering free routine dental care services to the homeless, and more than 100 volunteer dentists, endodontists, dental hygienists and dental assistants have provided nearly 5,000 hours of service since January 2001. CASS’ new dental clinic will expand its ability to serve homeless clients by increasing the number of chairs from five to eight.

The Piper Trust also awarded a $50,000 grant to the Arizona Foundation for Human Service Providers for the Arizona Child Care Association (ACCA) to develop and implement standardized orientation training for early child care workers when they are first employed. Currently, no orientation content standards or models exist; state licensing regulations require only that child care workers receive orientation training in 15 categories within 10 days of beginning work and an additional 12 hours of training within the first 12 months of employment. Over the next year, ACCA will develop a standardized orientation package for workers in early child care and early education settings and test it in 45 child care centers in Maricopa County. If successful, the project will provide a blueprint for early child care and education training in Arizona.

Four organizations that serve at-risk youth received a total of $767,000: Florence Crittenton Services of Arizona, Inc. ($104,000), Friendly House ($135,000), the Phoenix Rescue Mission ($250,000) and Girl Scouts – Arizona Cactus-Pine Council, Inc. ($10,000).

Additionally, three organizations that support the needs of older adults received grants totaling $135,000: Four Sisters Meals 2-U ($25,000), Marc Center ($100,000) and Solecito Services ($10,000). The Trust also awarded Phoenix Children’s Hospital with a $5,400 grant to support training for nurses.

In the area of arts and culture, the Trust awarded two grants: National Arts Strategies of Washington, D.C. ($100,000) and The Phoenix Symphony ($34,500). Additionally, the Trust awarded $25,000 to support the 87th Arizona Town Hall titled “Maximizing Arizona’s Success in the Biosciences and Biotechnology” to be held in October 2005.