Capitol Lakes Foundation 2021 Annual Impact Report

IMPACT REPORT Capitol Lakes Foundation

Board of Directors

2020 — 2021

YOUR Capitol Lakes Foundation Together, we’re enhancing the living experience.



Betsy Abramson, Retired



Connie Bakker, Secretary, Resident



Jack Bolz, Resident



Dr. Barbara Bowers, Retired



Patrick Carroll, Treasurer, Wipfli



Tim Conroy, Capitol Lakes, Inc.



Dr. Diane Farsetta, Center for Aging Research & Education



Steve Johannsen, Chair, Steve Johannsen & Assoc.



Natasha Killian, Capitol Lakes, Inc.



Norma Madsen, Resident



Marjorie Tobias, Resident



Carol Toussaint, Resident



Kristi Vater, Vice Chair, Capitol Lakes, Inc.

333 W. Main Street, Madison, WI 53703 -

608-283-2013 - www.yourclfoundation.org

Message from the Outgoing Chair Dear Friends, This September I completed my final term on the Capitol Lakes Foundation Board. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the Capitol Lakes community over the last six years. And I’m particularly grateful to you for growing the Foundation in such a significant way over my tenure. In 2015, the year I joined the Board, the Foundation had just over $1 million in total cash and investments. Thanks to your generosity, this fiscal year we raised nearly $250,000—a quarter of that original amount!

As you’ll discover in this report, your support has made a real difference in the lives of those who live and work at Capitol Lakes. You have carried us through what we hope will be the worst of the pandemic and positioned us to emerge stronger and more resilient when Covid is finally in our rear view mirror. Thanks for all you do.

Steve Johannsen, Former Chair of the Capitol Lakes Foundation Board

Benevolent Care Enriches Our Community Capitol Lakes Resident Services Director, Natasha Killian, knows every Independent Living Resident on campus. As a trained social worker, she helps residents navigate issues at Capitol Lakes and bureaucracies in the larger community.

One of the resources she is most grateful for is the Benevolent Care program at Capitol Lakes. This program tries to ensure that no resident needs to leave their home due to financial hardship.

“The Benevolent Care program protects the quality of life for our residents and friends,” recounts Killian. “The thought of a person in her 90’s having to leave her home, friends, and community is devastating. Those moves are hard to recover from.”

Thanks to your incredible generosity this year, your Capitol Lakes Foundation was able to grow our grant in support of the Benevolent Care program by 10%—providing untold peace of mind to our neighbors in need as well as their families.

“My father lived at Capitol Lakes for 20 years and this program helped him control his stress as he aged.” ~ Relative of former Capitol Lakes Resident

PROMOTING HEALTH AND WELLNESS DURING THE PANDEMIC WORK YOUR WEIGHTS:

STEP INTO SPRING

STAYING STRONG

WALKING CHALLENGE

When the Wellness Center had to close in late 2020 our residents stayed strong in the face of adversity. One of our residents approached the Foundation with a compelling idea—to provide hand weights to interested residents followed by a friendly competition to motivate everyone to "work their weights" at least three times a week.

The Foundation complemented her idea by also offering an exercise DVD.

Thanks to you, over 225 total pounds of weights were delivered to residents and dozens enrolled in the "Work Your Weights" New Year challenge.

“Thanks for all you’ve been doing for all of us. The Work Your Weights Challenge was especially fun!” Marcia Langston, CL Resident

Emily Ingalls is the Wellness Manager at Capitol Lakes. Promoting healthy habits for Capitol Lakes residents and older adults is her constant focus. "While it's important to be active at all stages in your life, it's really essential as we age," says Ingalls. "That's why my team was so excited to partner with the Capitol Lakes Foundation on the 'Step Into Spring' Walking Challenge."

‘Step Into Spring’ challenged Capitol Lakes residents to walk 1 mile or 30 minutes at least three times a week.

Each week participants were sent a new route to try.

The challenge culminated with a celebration in the Grand Hall where two residents won prizes.

“Your competition is holding me accountable.

This challenge is making sure I find time each day to get out.” Craig Williams, CL Resident

Supporting “Feels like you guys Mark Shaffar, RN in Capitol Lakes’ Health Center, showed up to care for patients throughout the pandemic despite the risks. As he says, “I work at Capitol Lakes because people here come first. The staff care about each other and we care about our residents. We have been through a lot with Covid-19, but we did it together.”

Mark—along with all of our great team members—truly went above and beyond for all of our residents at Capitol Lakes over this last, difficult year. So when Mark approached the Capitol Lakes Foundation about increasing Tuition Assistance reimbursement rates we knew that you would want us to take action.

In June we came to you with a request to raise $20,000 before the end of the month to double tuition assistance rates for our student workers starting in the fall semester. Thanks to an anonymous donor we were able to match the first $10,000 in gifts we received. Not only did we meet our match, but we tripled it—raising over $40,000 to fund these increased rates.

Your dedication means so much to our team. As Mark said later, “it feels like you guys have our backs.”

PRAISE FOR THE CAPITOL LAKES FOUNDATION TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM:

This is such a great benefit!

“I have just successfully completed the nursing program at Madison College. This would not have been possible without the help of the Foundation. Please allow me, from the bottom of my soul, to say thank you. Your assistance was an important factor in my education."

Thank you! My goal is to work here as an RN when I’m done.

Our Staff: have our backs.”

Financial Assistance in Times of Hardship Continues to Be an Important Safety Net The Financial Assistance in Times of Hardship (FAITH) program was developed to provide an important safety net for our hard-working team. The goal of FAITH is to prevent a small financial shortfall from ballooning into a huge financial crisis.

This program has always been an important safeguard for our staff, but took on a much greater significance during the pandemic. Thanks to your generosity, we were able to meet the increased need.

Since April 2020 we have disbursed nearly $60,000 in need-based aid for our team.

Caring for Residents Bloom & Grow Garden Provides Engagement and Enjoyment In early 2020 Victoria Scarpita, then an intern at Capitol Lakes' Health Center, had an idea to start a therapeutic garden for Health Center residents and patients that could eventually be enjoyed by all residents and staff. The pandemic disrupted her plans.

Over a year later Victoria, now a staff member at Capitol Lakes, resurrected the idea as a way to engage with residents after a long year of lock downs. "There is a great deal of scientific research into the benefits of therapy gardens," Scarpita relates, "and we felt it would be particularly beneficial for residents coming out of Covid."

The garden began with residents and staff working together to build accessible planters. After the planters were built staff worked with residents to plant flowers as well as 2 tomato plants.

Recounts Scarpita, “Not only was this a great activity for our residents, but it also brought joy to those who were able to enjoy the garden in full bloom.”

Thank YOU for helping our garden grow!

Appreciation for our Skilled Nursing Team: Here are just two—of countless—notes of thanks our team received during National Skilled Nursing Care Week in May 2021.

Across our Campus Music and Memory: The Power of Personalized Playlists Capitol Lakes Independent Living Resident, Chie Craig, spends a lot of time on Ivy—the memory care support unit in Capitol Lakes' Assisted Living— visiting her husband, Darryl. Prior to moving to Ivy, Chie was Darryl's primary caregiver and it was during these years that she first became an advocate for expanding access to music for those with dementia at Capitol Lakes.

"The idea is to create a playlist of songs that is meaningful to the person suffering from dementia," says Craig. "This music decreases anxiety and can increase socialization.

There are reams of scientific research to support the positive impact of music for those suffering with dementia, but I've seen it first hand with my husband and other residents on Ivy." Creating playlists that are meaningful to individual residents is a time consuming process that involves interviews with both the resident and their family. Chie volunteers her time to create these playlists one Ivy resident at a time.

"Chie's work to bring music to Ivy residents is inspiring," says Capitol Lakes Foundation Director Lenee Kruse. "So when she approached the Foundation to purchase equipment so residents could hear the playlists she creates, it was an easy decision to approve her funding request."

At Chie's request the Foundation purchased several Simpl Music Players. These devices are made specifically for those suffering with dementia. They are easy to use—both for residents and caregivers. And thanks to your generosity, the Foundation was also able to purchase almost 200 minutes of music.

RESIDENTS GIVE BACK Many thanks to those residents who answered the Foundation’s call to participate in the Older Adult Project. This UW-Madison School of Nursing program pairs volunteers 65 and older who are living independently with undergraduate nursing students.

Volunteers provide students an opportunity to learn from and about older people.

Capitol Lakes resident Kaj Foget, who had volunteered for the program once before, signed up for the virtual version last Fall.

“Personal connection with a different generation is so important for young people,” says Foget. “It’s easy to write us off, but that personal connection gives a wider perspective and elevates our relevancy. I also like to be a mentor to young people.”

Foget’s mentorship has mattered creating a meaningful relationship with his first student. Foget recounts that “even after the program concluded we continued to meet regularly for months as friends.”

At a glance...

71% of donors renewed their support this fiscal year!

Total Cash and Investments $1,800,000.00 $1,600,000.00 $1,400,000.00 $1,200,000.00 $1,000,000.00 $800,000.00 $600,000.00 $400,000.00 $200,000.00 $FY 15

Total

FY 15 $1,042,686.00

FY 16 FY 16 $1,130,699.00

FY 17

FY 18

FY 17 $1,310,682.00

FY 18 $1,327,398.00

FY 19 FY 19 $1,293,563.00

Grants Disbursed by Funding Priority Category FY21

$37,267.39

$66,000.00 $9,177.92

Benevolent Care

*Fiscal Year 2021. Information Unaudited

Resident Life

Staff Support

FY 20 FY 20 $1,360,233.00

FY 21 FY 21 $1,775,646.00