2022 Annual Report - Athens Community Council on Aging

New Vision for a New Time 2022 ANNUAL REPORT

A Word from Our CEO Dear Friends, Since our beginning fifty-five years ago, ACCA has been purposefully shaped by the needs of the people we serve.

And throughout the past year, we’ve evolved to meet the shifting needs we see around us.

We spent the past year listening to those we serve, members of our community, and our partner organizations to find ways to adapt and improve the programs and services that we provide. This time of assessment helped us lay the necessary foundation to put resources in place that will best support our older adult neighbors in a post-pandemic world. We are hopeful and excited for the changes ahead.

For us, 2022 was a year of looking back and thinking forward. We have re-evaluated our programs and services to better represent and benefit our older neighbors. ACCA is different because of the pandemic – arguably every organization is. But these changes have created opportunities for us to become more in tune with our community’s needs and allow us to expand our impact.

How will we improve? In the coming years, we plan to increase our general case management and resource services providing housing counsel,

increased access to transportation, general care coordination, and a brand new Alzheimer’s Resource Center.

Each opportunity meets our community’s growing struggles and requests. Through this season of change, we are determined to continue our legacy of promoting aging well through engagement, advocacy, education and support.

Because of your continued involvement, we are able to adapt and respond to the concerns of our older adults and their loved ones. This annual report will, of course, share insights into our fiscal year. But it will also share the impact we have made on individuals through your generosity.

You’ll meet Allyson who – through our Adult Day Health program – is able to continue to have her dad live with her instead of moving him into a full-time care facility. You’ll also meet Isabel – who not only uses our Meals on Wheels program but also volunteers with us – and several others whose lives look different because of ACCA. Thank you for your support. You are making a lasting difference in our community.

In Gratitude, Eve Anthony CEO

Table of Contents Overall Agency Impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Adult Day Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Senior Employment Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Caregiver Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Meals on Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 From Giving to Doing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 2 • ACCA 2022 Annual Report

FY22 By The Numbers ACCA Fiscal Year 2022 Expense Breakdown Administrative

9.07

FY22 Expenses

Fees for Services $73,523

ACCA Fiscal Year 2022 Funding by Source

%

Money Spent with our Top 3 Programs

$632,253

89.77%

1.16%

$881,085

Programs

$970,159

Fundraising

Adult Day Care

Senior Employment Training

Meals on Wheels

Non-Government Grants $71,999

Fundraising Revenue $466,127 Athens Clarke County $307,266 State Government $409,635

Federal Government $2,203,274

Other Revenues $35,204

Total Funding $4,175,367

Medicaid $655,792 United Way Allocation $36,620 ACCA 2022 Annual Report • 3

4 • ACCA 2022 Annual Report

New Vision for a New Time

92

91

%

%

say ACCA has allowed them to remain living at home.

say ACCA connected them with additional resources.

99

%

90

%

say ACCA has increased their social opportunities.

say ACCA has helped them improve or maintain

(56%)

(42.7%) their overall health.

“You don’t do nonprofit work like this unless there is a sense of calling involved.”

– Cathy Hope

ACCA 2022 Annual Report • 5

Provided

8,496 rides to 228 older adults

Of these older adults,

96%

report that access to healthcare has increased as a result of receiving transportation services.

98%

report that they have timely access to medical care in the appropriate setting as a result of receiving transportation services.

97%

report that they have timely access to their medication as a result of receiving transportation services.

6 • ACCA 2022 Annual Report

Pictured: Cathy Hope

Transportation Service Cathy Hope: Starting Over at 71 In an instant, everything can change.

For Cathy Hope, it was a car crash. After the accident, she lost her ability to drive.

Living in rural New Mexico, Hope relied on her community to drive her to doctor’s appointments, but with specialists two to three hours away, getting help felt impossible.

Hope knew she had to change but struggled to let go of her community. She moved to Athens in April to be closer to family, and to access better health care.

“When I moved here, I called a medical transport company and a round trip, which was basically 15-minutes, was over a hundred dollars.

A hundred dollars for one round trip! When I

found ACCA’s transportation service, I was blown away. This organization had a program that fit my needs, and I got four free rides a month.

It was, and is, fabulous! Nothing compares to ACCA,” said Hope.

Though she has only lived in Athens a few months, Hope’s desire for connection has been increasingly fulfilled through ACCA’s transportation service.

“The drivers are like neighbors of mine. We’ve built a neighborhood feeling, and it’s so special.

I feel that I am a part of a community now,” said Hope.

“The drivers are like neighbors of mine.

We’ve built a neighborhood feeling, and it’s so special.”

Our New Horizon ACCA believes that everyone in our community should have access to reliable transportation to meet their basic needs for healthy food access, healthcare and community engagement. We are envisioning a mobility coordination program that allows consumers to quickly access affordable transportation options specific to their needs and eligibility.

ACCA 2022 Annual Report • 7

Pictured: Allyson Mann and her father John Mann

Adult Day Health Provided

506 days of care to 107 older adults and people living with disabilities.

152 people participated in an ACCA Caregiver Support group.

8 • ACCA 2022 Annual Report

Intentional Individuality:

The Heart behind ACCA’s Adult Day Health Center If you ask Allyson Mann to describe ACCA’s Adult Day Health program in a few words, she’ll immediately say: Caring. Supportive. A Lifesaver.

As a caregiver for her father John, Mann has personally experienced the benefits ACCA’s ADH program provides. Mann has been caring for her father since early 2017 and recently moved him into her home in Athens after it became clear that he needed additional assistance. Mann works in-person, full time which became increasingly difficult when her father could no longer be home alone. She was at an impossible crossroads between needing

to work to financially support herself and her father and needing to be at home to properly care for him.

Mann started participating in the ADH through ACCA in the summer of 2019. She was quickly blown away by the staff’s intentionality and holistic care for her dad.

“It’s been a really great program for him and me. I have peace of mind, knowing that he’s safe and taken care of while I’m working, and he gets to have some social activity and be around other people than just me. The program has been very valuable to us because of this,” said Mann.

Our New Horizon As the essential community resource to aging well, ACCA is developing an on-site Alzheimer’s Resource Center that, working alongside community partners, will create a seamless path from diagnosis to education, resources, care and support.

ACCA 2022 Annual Report • 9

“Tom exemplifies our values and takes initiative to support the staff and clients to make their days brighter.”

10 • ACCA 2022 Annual Report

Pictured: Tom Nolan

Senior Employment Training: Celebrating Life’s Big Accomplishments “He is my one-of-a-kind. Tom just has such a big heart for giving back and helping around ACCA. You can truly see it on his face how excited he is to learn and talk to others here at ACCA. Two things we push are communication and teamwork; Tom exemplifies our values and takes initiative to support the staff and clients to make their days brighter.”

Delores Bolton, Tom’s manager at ACCA. Big accomplishments call for big celebrations! Tom, who trained at our Center for Active Living and takes care of ACCA’s grounds, successfully

completed the Senior Community Service Employment (SCSEP) program!

He is now reentering the workforce as a Kroger employee. He has had a huge impact here at ACCA, and we are so proud of him.

Not familiar with SCSEP? This program provides low-income older adults with part-time paid community service opportunities to encourage transition to unsubsidized employment.Through your support, we are able to give people like Tom the tools and resources they need to thrive in the workforce.

35,373 training hours provided by SCSEP at their host site.

66 8

participated in the SCSEP program during the year.

participants hired in unsubsidized employment

7

participants are still employed six months after their program completion.

ACCA 2022 Annual Report • 11

Grandparent Support Served

90 families in FY22 – 57 grandparents,

89 grandchildren – by providing case management, education, support groups and family/children activities.

Pictured: Michele Driver 12 • ACCA 2022 Annual Report

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Discovering Purpose Within Hardship For Michele Driver, one phone call changed everything. A year and a half ago, in the middle of the night, Driver answered a call. Waiting on the line was DFCS. They asked if she would pick up Kendall, her six-year-old granddaughter.

Kendall had lost her mom three months before, and that night Kendall’s other grandmother passed away.

At six, Kendall had no one. Her father, Driver’s son, was unfit to raise her and now just months apart, all of her close family had passed away.

Though Driver knew about her granddaughter, she had not been part of her life previously.

Kendall had two options, foster care or move in with Driver.

96

%

think they’ll be able to continue raising the child(ren) in their care.

Though Driver loves Kendall deeply, this change was challenging for her. Grandparents Raising Grandchildren became a life line for Driver and helped her navigate her new role as Kendall’s caregiver.

“It’s heaven sent. I can’t put into words what GRG means to me. You’re around people who understand. It’s a different kind of community,” said Driver. “I hope that others see what GRG means to the people involved in the program, and that they’re willing to keep funding the program because without it, grandparents like me would be literally lost.”

I can’t put into words what GRG means to me.

You’re around people who understand.

It’s a different kind of community.

81

%

feel better able to care for the children they’re raising than before they became involved in GRG. ACCA 2022 Annual Report • 13

134 MOW volunteers delivered 72,950 meals to older adults in Athens and Winder. Together, volunteers drove 64,376 miles – that’s the distance from Athens, GA to Athens, Greece 11 times! – and donated 4,755 hours.

Pictured on left: Isabel Alpaugh

100

%

of MOW volunteers feel they’re making a positive impact on community needs through their volunteer service at ACCA.

14 • ACCA 2022 Annual Report

90

%

of homebound older adults receiving MOW say their opportunities for socialization have increased from receiving MOW services.

Receiving and Giving: A Meals on Wheels Story For 14 years, Isabel Alpaugh has faithfully volunteered every week for ACCA’s Meals on Wheels program. For Alpaugh, though, this is more than just a volunteer opportunity.

In the wake of the pandemic, Alpaugh took a break from delivering meals for health concerns. She and her mother both became primarily homebound and began receiving meals through Meals on Wheels each week. Having someone consistently check in and provide well-balanced meals gave Alpaugh a new appreciation for the program.

Once it was safe, Alpaugh eagerly returned to helping with

Meals on Wheels.

“She loves to have fun and is easy to be around, but she takes her work [delivering meals] very seriously,” said her friend Leila Bjorkland-Glazman, who volunteered with Isabel in the beginning and has recently began delivering with her again.

Today, Alpaugh gives back to her fellow Meals on Wheels participants and also continues to personally receive meals from this service.

Your support has a huge impact and allows us, along with our dedicated volunteers, to reduce senior hunger and isolation in Athens.

“I love MOW. The staff is so understanding and caring.

The people that deliver are friendly, positive, polite and greet each other with a big smile. I am so blessed to have MOW. I’m in a power wheelchair and can’t cook – MOW makes it easy.”

ACCA is grateful for the service of so many amazing volunteers. We value the dedicated individuals with developmental and physical disabilities, like Isabel, for their heart in giving back to their community. Their generosity towards our organization is overwhelming. We are thankful for their service which is made possible through programs such as Georgia Options, Hope Haven of Northeast Georgia and Designing Minds Enterprises.

“Everyone there is so good to me. It’s wonderful the way everyone treats me. I love talking to some of them [staff] on the phone. One of the ladies even picked up my meds at the drug store and got me flowers, plus she got food for my babies [pets].”

ACCA 2022 Annual Report • 15

Jack Stephen Hollis It all started with a jewelry store. For forty years, Jack Stephen Hollis designed one-of-a-kind pieces for his clients. Hollis never expected for his job to connect him to charitable giving, and yet this position alongside a few prominent friends introduced him to the Athens Community Council on Aging.

With his husband, Hollis has given to ACCA for several years.

“Early on, we would drop off checks and donations here and there, but we later realized that we should be consistent and donate monthly,” Hollis said. “We honestly don’t keep track of how much or how long we’ve given. We give because it’s what we feel like we should do, because there is such a need.”

Hollis saw the impact of his donations first hand when he volunteered at ACCA at the June Mobile Food Pantry.

“I had no idea the extent that ACCA was giving food to people. I knew they did Meals on Wheels, but I did not know that they were helping with other food insecurity needs until I came and volunteered. It was definitely an eyeopening experience for me to see where the money is going and how well it’s being used,” said Hollis.

16 • ACCA 2022 Annual Report

From Giving to Doing:

The story of a donor who also became a volunteer

”

It was definitely an eye-opening experience for me to see where the money is going and how well it’s being used.

ACCA 2022 Annual Report • 17

18 • ACCA 2022 Annual Report

On behalf of all ACCA staff, partners, and clients, thank you for your generosity. Because of you, folks like Cathy can safely arrive to their doctor appointments and receive the care they need, caregivers like Allyson can continue to have their parents live at home with them, individuals like Tom can land a job and better support themselves, families like Michele and Kendall can find community and support through Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, and people like Isabel can give back and reduce their own food insecurity through our Meals on Wheel program. Your donations made a huge difference in their lives and many others.

ACCA Board of Directors Kelly C. Holloway (Chair) Dr. Reginald Woods (Vice Chair) Don DeMaria (Treasurer) Becky Lane (Secretary) Victoria Prevatt Wes Zwirn Tyler Alsen Maria Bowie

Lewis Hudgins Jonathan Wentworth Gabe Brauer Christina Moore Dr. Don Scott Dr. Tiffany Washington Evelyn Wright (Honorary Director) 2022 MBA Fellow – Leila Choucair

ACCA 2022 Annual Report • 19

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED Together, we can do so much more.

You can help our community age well and live well.

VISIT. Stop by ACCA, let us show you around, introduce you to our amazing staff and see our work in action.

VOLUNTEER. We’re always looking for amazing community members to support our work. There’s a wide range of opportunities to help out. From delivering a meal, to teaching a class or providing transportation to a doctor’s appointment, we’ll make sure to find the right place for your skills.

DONATE. With your help, it’s possible for ACCA to continue fighting senior hunger and social isolation, offer health and wellness activities, support to caregivers, provide vital trips into the community for homebound older adults, engage older adults in job training and so much more!

SPONSOR. Your local business or community group can invest in our mission and be a part of our impact on older adults in our community. We’ll recognize your support year-long at our events and fundraisers and through our communications platform.

PARTNER. We know we can do more for less when we partner with others in our community who share our mission. If you think you can help, let us know!

FOLLOW. Like us on Facebook and Instagram. Stay posted on all of the amazing things ACCA has going on. Become our friend!

For more ways to get involved, call us at 706-549-4850.

Age Well. Live Well. accaging.org