NON-Profit - Faith in action caregivers

NON-Profit - Faith in action caregivers

Written by Julia Kennedy Jayes Thursday, 07 December 2006

Pflugerville joins with other Caregivers to provide services for the elderly

Serita Lacasse was working as a social worker when she discovered a problem: Pflugerville sorely lacked services that helped seniors remain independent in their own homes.

She called an organization she knew of in Round Rock, Faith in Action Caregivers (FIAC), for help in building an assistance program of her own. The result was Faith in Action Caregivers – Pflugerville, a non-profit based on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s model of community- and faith-based assistance organizations.

FIAC-Pflugerville has provided free transportation and visitation services to local seniors for two years. But a new opportunity for collaboration and name recognition has Lacasse excited about possibilities for the organization’s future.

“There are eight Caregivers organizations throughout the Central Texas area, from Georgetown down to South Austin and from Cedar Park to Leander. But up until recently, we’ve had an informal partnership,” Lacasse said. “With help from the Faith in Action Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we will all be signing a Memorandum of Understanding that will formalize our association and help ensure we’re all working to accomplish the same mission.”

The new collaboration should help all eight entities become more efficient.

“The day after Thanksgiving, we ran ads at the Tinseltown and Barton Creek theatres to ask for volunteers and to spread the word about FIAC. We want to be just as familiar as Meals on Wheels or Habitat for Humanity.”

With the launch of a new, centralized Web site they will eliminate some of the office work currently handled by volunteers at each separate location. The coalition will be able to secure larger grants and funds working as a united front.

“As with any non-profit, funding is always a challenge. For us, seniors aren’t as popular as kids. That’s the reality of it. Until someone goes through the challenge of caring for an elderly loved one, they don’t tend to think of the great need that’s out there. So we’re always looking for new fundraisers or opportunities to reach donors who can help make this a success.”

FIAC-Pflugerville relies almost entirely on volunteers. “We need people – regardless of how much or how little time they can commit – to take people to doctor’s appointments, to run errands, to visit them at home, or even to help us around the offices.”

Fortunately, the benefits of volunteering run both ways. “It’s a perfect volunteer job for parents because they can bring their children. The seniors are so anxious to get the exposure to young kids, and the children get the added benefits of interacting with older generations. They learn from their wisdom, their perspective, and the love that’s there is priceless. I think it also sets a standard for children when they see a parent volunteering, to learn to dedicate part of their lives to volunteering, too.”

Donations can be mailed to: Faith in Action Caregivers, P.O. Box 1294, Pflugerville, TX 78691

Or you can make an online donation at www.main.org/pfcaregivers.

Volunteering

• All volunteers go through a simple, one-hour training, a background check and submit three references.
• Volunteers are allowed to bring their children when volunteering.

Eligible Seniors

FIAC serves individuals over the age of 60 who live independently and are self ambulatory. Clients are visited in-home prior to beginning services.

Faith in Action Caregivers

• FIAC-Pflugerville Web site: www.main.org/pfcaregivers
• FIAC Web site: www.faithinactioncaregivers.org
• 512-538-1152