Volume 18 | Issue 13 | March 29, 2023

News for Advocates of Children, Youth, and Older Adults from Generations United

Meet Generations United's Board Members

We conclude the introductions to the phenomenal members of our Board with Pam Smith. We are grateful for her (and all members’) commitment and service.

Pamela B. Smith

Executive Director

ALEX SMITH FOUNDATION

Learn more about our Board Officers and Board Members here.

The Catholic Charities’ Adopt-A-Senior Program (AASP) addresses loneliness, social isolation, and food insecurity among the senior population in Bexar County. AASP, a Generations United Program of Distinction, connects volunteers with isolated and at-risk older adults in order to improve their quality of life. In an effort to better serve older people throughout the City of San Antonio and Bexar County, volunteers conduct two initial phone surveys in order to assess an individual’s support systems and food security levels. This process has allowed them to develop a Senior Vulnerability Analysis Map that will enable the AASP staff and other agencies to more effectively provide services to vulnerable seniors throughout the county. Volunteers provide direct assistance through companionship, transportation, food and care package deliveries (for those assessed as food insecure), as well as providing education and connecting seniors with the resources to address their respective needs. Learn more about the Adopt-A-Senior Program here.

Photo courtesy of Adopt-A-Senior Program

Each week, Generations United is spotlighting a recipient of our Intergenerational Program Certification. The certification is an annual recognition of outstanding programs bringing older and younger participants together and is based on rigorous standards of program effectiveness and sustainability. Learn more about the Intergenerational Program Certification here.

Riley's Way Foundation's Call for Kindness empowers young leaders throughout the U.S. to use kindness and empathy to create meaningful connections and positive change. In 2023, Riley's Way will award up to $3,000 to as many as 36 youth-led projects rooted in the values of kindness, empathy, youth leadership, and inclusive community that tackle anything from equity and social justice issues to building meaningful connections in a school or community. At least ten of the selected projects will be specifically focused on environmental justice. Winners will also participate in a leadership development fellowship. Youth ages 13 to 22 that are living in the United States are eligible to apply. The deadline for submitting applications is April 2, 2023. Learn more.

Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is funding research on supportive family policies and programs that have strong potential to impact equitable access to nutritious food in communities, nutrition security, diet quality, and improved nutrition and health outcomes. Apply by April 5, 2023. Learn more.

J.M. Kaplan Fund: J.M.K. Innovation Prize seeks to identify, support, and elevate innovators who are spearheading transformative, early-stage projects in the fields of the environment, heritage conservation, and social justice. In 2023, up to ten Prizes will be awarded, each including unrestricted funding of $150,000 over three years, plus $25,000 in technical assistance funds, for a total award of $175,000. Awardees also receive guidance through the Fund and its resource network, accessing tools and a community of support to help turn their innovative ideas into life-changing social impacts. The first-round application deadline is April 28, 2023. Learn more.

NEW: Administration for Community Living Lifespan Respite Care Program: State Program Enhancement Grants. Applicants to this funding opportunity will propose approaches grounded in the principles and actions of the strategy to make advancements in and strengthen their Lifespan Respite Care systems. Grantees will be expected to build on previous efforts to improve equitable access, consistency, quality, and sustainability and reduce duplication in respite service delivery. Additionally, grantees will be expected to provide respite services, continue building collaborations and partnerships across the state, expand options for volunteers, ensure adequate respite provider training is offered, identify gaps in current services and conduct outreach to reduce those gaps, and continue to, or increase, efforts to target underserved populations across the lifespan. Due date for applications: Monday, May 15, 2023, 11:59 PM ET. Learn more.

NEW: Administration for Community Living Lifespan Respite Care Program: Grants to New States and States Re-Establishing Their Core Respite Infrastructures. Applicants to this funding opportunity will propose approaches to, at a minimum, establish or re-establish state and local coordinated Lifespan Respite Care systems to serve family caregivers regardless of the age, disability, or chronic condition of the care recipient. Applicants will also be expected to propose how they will develop or expand new and emergency respite services and provide such services; train and recruit respite workers, including volunteers; and assist caregivers in gaining access to respite care services that meet the needs of both the caregiver and care recipient. Due date for applications: Monday, May 15, 2023, 11:59 PM ET. Learn more.

The Brookdale Foundation Group Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the creation or expansion of supportive services to grandparents and other relatives raising children. A seed grant of $30,000 ($20,000 in year one and $10,000 tier two, contingent upon progress made during year one and potential for continuity in the future) is available to non-profit organizations across the United States. On-going technical assistance will be provided. Proposals are due on Thursday, June 22, 2023. Learn more.

If you have—or know of—any intergenerational funding opportunities, please send them to gu@gu.org.

Journal of Intergenerational Relationships Call for Papers for Memorial Issue Honoring Founding Editor Dr. Sally Newman’s Contributions to the Intergenerational Field: Dr. Sally Newman was a guiding force for founding the Journal of Intergenerational Relationships in 2003, serving as its first editor until June 2014. Despite her death in 2022, Dr. Newman’s legacy lives on. In honor of Dr. Newman’s leadership in intergenerational program research, the Journal of Intergenerational Relationships invites scholarly contributions for a special issue focused on contemporary intergenerational research that builds on her foundational work, which can be seen today in different programmatic settings and countries. This special memorial issue will be published in 2024. Submissions must be received by May 31, 2023. Read the full special issue announcement here. Contact Shannon Jarrott with questions.

"Intergenerational Community Planning" Report: Generations United Senior Fellow Irv Katz and Generations United friend and Penn State professor Matt Kaplan, PhD, collaborated on a "guide" to intergenerational community planning published by the American Planning Association (APA). The intergenerational planning guide follows related APA reports on multigenerational planning and planning for all ages. The document suggests that the well-being of children, youth, and older adults--and how they relate with one another--should be integrated into regular city planning processes, such as the comprehensive planning that most cities and towns undertake. "Intergenerational Community Planning" is available for free to members of the American Planning Association and $25 for non-members.

"I think it is important that the different generations learn from each other, form new friendships, and these meetings give everyone a sense of purpose."

Shannon Vaughan, English Teacher of 34 years, whose classes participate in an intergenerational poetry writing session through the City of Manhattan Beach's Parks and Recreation Department's Older Adults Poetry Circle program.

We want Generations This Week to be a resource for you. Please send us any national news on intergenerational issues in addition to upcoming conferences, funding opportunities, research, reports, and webinars. You can connect with other intergenerational enthusiasts through our Facebook group. Please also let us know how we can improve! Email us at gu@gu.org. We'd love to hear from you!