Nearly $100,000 awarded to local agencies by St. Francis Health Center Mission Fund
Ten agencies received a total of $99,530.50 as part of the Mission Fund’s community grants program. Grants will be used during 2010 to fund community needs with a special focus on the poor.
“As we move into our third year of providing Mission Fund grants, it is apparent that community needs are great and that local agencies are excellent partners for extending the mission of St. Francis Health Center,” said Rose Mary Boyd, vice president of mission integration at St. Francis and chairwoman of the Mission Fund Committee.
“Because the goals of the Mission Fund are to address identified community needs and to build collaborative relationships with community agencies in meeting these needs, our mission to “improve the health of the community” can include such needs as access to health care, early education and development for children, crime prevention, youth character development, job skill development, dental care and crime reduction and prevention,” Boyd said. “Through the Mission Fund grants, St. Francis is able to step into the community to provide hope and help to hundreds of people in addition to those who come to us for care.”
Mission Fund grant applications are reviewed by members of the Mission Fund Committee and are approved by the Board of Directors of St. Francis Health Center. Recipients are selected on the basis of several criteria, including alignment with the mission of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System mission and values, the number of people who will receive assistance, the need addressed, specific identified outcomes and sustainability of the program.
Grant recipients for 2010 include:
Doorstep, 1119 S.W. 10th Street, Topeka, was awarded $7,500 to provide monetary assistance to more individuals in the form of vouchers for prescription needs, dental needs and transportation to medical appointments.
Easter Seals Capper Foundation, 3500 S.W. 10th Street, Topeka, was awarded $10,000 to improve the availability of comprehensive services for children with autism spectrum disorders.
Family Service & Guidance Center, 325 SW Frazier Ave, Topeka, was awarded $10,000 to provide transportation services to ensure that young children between ages of 3 to 6 years old are able to get to the Family Service and Guidance Center for needed services.
Jackson County Resource Center, Inc., 625 Vermont, Holton, was awarded $15,000 to continue providing a needed source of contract employment for the consumers of the Jackson County Resource Center to market a laundry service and expand services to Holton-area businesses and individuals.
Kansas Children’s Service League, 3545 S.W. 5th Street, Topeka, was awarded $10,572.50 to help families identify a medical home, keep children and families safe, educate families when to seek medical attention and how to access appropriate services.
Let’s Help, Inc., 200 S. Kansas Ave, Topeka, was awarded $14,828 to provide clients with information on importance and need for health care and provide access to needed health care services
Marian Clinic, 1001 SW Garfield Ave, Topeka, was awarded $10,469 to replace failing critical equipment by purchasing two X-ray processors and one compressor at Marian Clinic Dental.
Meals on Wheels of Shawnee and Jefferson Counties, 5724 S.W. Huntoon, Topeka, was awarded $3,084 to continue the Krista Wagner route and add an additional route that provides nutritious meals to homebound individuals. Wagner was a St. Francis Health Center employee who coordinated a Meals on Wheels route for five years before she died in early 2008.
Safe Streets, a program of Shawnee Regional Prevention and Recovery Services, 2209 SW 29th Street, Topeka was awarded $9,264 to reduce home burglaries and provide crime prevention and home security for renters with little money in central Topeka.
Shawnee County Medical Society, 623 SW 10th Ave., was awarded $8,813 to replace computer equipment aimed at improving program efficiency and outreach efforts for hundreds of individuals.
