October, 31, 2024

Nine nonprofit organizations receive $45,000 from Point32Health Foundation in partnership with Colleague Resource Groups

Point32Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Point32Health and its family of companies, including Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Tufts Health Plan and Care Partners of Connecticut, today announced nine nonprofit organizations in the region will receive a total of $45,000 in grants to address inequities, foster diverse leadership, support veterans and eliminate disparities.

Leaders of Point32Health’s nine Colleague Resource Groups (CRGs) worked with the Foundation to identify and recommend community nonprofits aligned with the CRGs’ affinities; each received a $5,000 grant.

Read the press release

GRANTEE STORIES

Acadia National Park practices lessons learned from Wabanaki REACH

Wabanaki REACH's Decolonizing Conservation Communities is an interactive, 12-hour program that educates environmental organizations on the harmful history of how the lands and waters of Maine were stolen from the Wabanaki people. Participants learn the concepts of colonization and decolonization, ultimately working towards repair and healing.

Acadia National Park staff have participated in past programs and recently removed harmful policies to allow sweetgrass picking at the park. For centuries, sweetgrass has been an important resource for the Wabanaki people as a medicinal plant and a material in basket making. Harvesting for these traditional uses has been impossible at Acadia National since the park’s opening in 1916, when it became governed by national park rules and policies that ended harvests.

Wabanaki REACH welcomed this change in the park's practices, a testament to the long-standing impact REACH programming can have on the lands and waters in the state.

Land & Sea Together tackles mental health crises for workers and families

Mental health support is often overlooked amongst those who work in farming, forestry and fisheries. Workers are left with limited access to mental health resources as many of these jobs are seasonal, temporary, and lack paid time off and healthcare. This results in disproportionate mental health challenges.

To bridge this gap and tackle this issue in Rhode Island, Land & Sea Together is building peer networks, increasing access to therapy, providing succession planning services and offering consultations for childcare, eldercare and other services for agricultural workers. In partnership with Coastline EAP, the organization has also launched an Employee Assistance Program to bring Rhode Island’s farming, fishing, and aquaculture communities support services.

The program is accessible by a 24/7, multi-lingual, hotline at 800-445-1195.

Bipartisan bills renew commitments to fight Alzheimer's

The Alzheimer's Association Connecticut Chapter recently celebrated two important, federal advocacy wins when the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) Reauthorization and the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act were signed into law by President Biden on October 2, 2024.

The NAPA Reauthorization Act extends the strategic National Plan and emphasizes the importance of healthy aging and risk reduction. Prior to NAPA, there was no comprehensive plan to address Alzheimer's nationally.

The Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act builds on the 2014 bill and ensures Congress will continue to hear directly from scientists at the National Institutes of Health on Alzheimer’s and dementia research funding needed to achieve the goals in the National Plan.

Members of the Connecticut Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association (shown above) participated in this national legislative strategy - advocating for support at a Coffee with Congress event in Lebanon, Conn. with Representative Joe Courtney.

Volunteers keep New Hampshire moving

As part of its advocacy work, New Hampshire Alliance for Healthy Aging coordinates a transportation committee to identify solutions, improve awareness of community transportation options, and create relationships between social service providers and transportation providers. To demonstrate the critical role of volunteer driver programs and help identify gaps, the group is standardizing transportation data collection and launching a statewide volunteer recruitment effort to support the state’s many volunteer driver programs.

According to the New Hampshire Municipal Association, only 25 communities in New Hampshire are served by public transportation. Thus, volunteer driver programs are widely used in the state, with multiple organizations and community groups offering rides to community members. In 2023 the working group collected data from 19 volunteer driver programs serving 255 communities. Here are some findings.

645 volunteer drivers
38,019 volunteer hours donated
713,532 miles traveled
35,894 trips requested
$1,740,619 cost of donated volunteer hours

Residents are encouraged to use a centralized site to find a ride.

Resident-led group advocates for universal broadband access

Building on Way Finders’ Flexing Civic Muscle program, the organization recently launched the Connect Hampden County Coalition. The coalition made up of two dozen members of all ages meets monthly to devise resident-led, resident-driven projects. Their work advances digital equity in Holyoke and Springfield through education, advocacy, and action.

The coalition also has been involved in advocacy of the Affordable Connectivity Program, refinement of the state's broadband map, and the development of multi-media campaigns around digital equity and its impact on community.

Learn more about the coalition and other recent accomplishments on the Way Finders website.

RESOURCES

Report highlights New Hampshire's changing demographics

As the population ages, New Hampshire has many opportunities within the state's health care services, labor force, and economy to address this growing demographic. A new report from New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute shows that over 20% of the population is comprised of older adults - and that number is expected to rise in the coming years. In fact, the report found that New Hampshire’s population is aging faster compared to the nation overall.

This data is especially helpful to organizations in their advocacy for more support and funds for older adults in N.H.

Tool for finding dementia caregiving programs

Best Programs for Caregiving offers a free online directory of support programs for family and friend caregivers of individuals living with dementia. Caregivers and organizations who work with dementia caregivers are encouraged to use this tool to find and compare evidence-based programs across the country that address unique challenges and concerns faced by caregivers.

Access the database to get started.

Workshops to help leaders craft an effective financial plan

T. Rowe Price and Nonprofit Finance Fund are offering a four-part webinar series on core financial management concepts from Nov. 4 - Feb. 10. Designed for leaders of emerging and smaller nonprofits, the series covers finance fundamentals, how to build budgets, cash flow planning, and how to develop a compelling financial story of your organization.

Sign up to learn practical strategies and tools to help build capacity and understand, analyze, and utilize financial information to make data-driven decisions.

CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP UPDATES

Taking steps to end Alzheimer's

The Point32Health Walk to End Alzheimer’s team participated in 10 events at locations across New England and in additional communities where colleagues live and work. Colleagues also participated in our third-annual mini-golf tournament in our Canton, Mass., office to raise money for the cause.

The team raised more than $80,000 to support services for families, advocacy for those living with Alzheimer’s, and research to advance treatments and find a cure. The Foundation will match all funds raised by the Point32Health team. Since 2012, our team has contributed nearly $2M to support the Alzheimer’s Association’s work.