Barton Health supports Lake Tahoe area organizations in need

“Empowerment” is the premise of Barton Health's Community Advisory Committee (CAC). After careful evaluation of 19 grant applications, nine-non-profits recently received $24,000 in grants from the CAC. Through these grants, the CAC is able to “empower” area community programs with funding to help close the health gaps and address health issues within the community. Since 2009, the CAC has awarded 35 grants to Lake Tahoe area non-profits through the Barton Foundation, totaling more than $98,000.

“The grants provide funding for programs whose mission is to support the health of the underserved population in our community,” executive director of Barton Foundation, Kindle Craig said.

Applicants must provide funding opportunities that impact the nutrition, physical fitness or mental health services for the population served.

The CAC’s focus, this year, was to impact the elderly and address their medical needs. O.P.E.N. (Ordinary People Meeting Extraordinary Needs) applied for the first time in 2012 and received $3,000 from the CAC.

“We help qualified people with their co-pays, medication costs, transportation and will “consider” any request,” Ray Goodenough, executive director of O.P.E.N. said. “The number of people we serve has doubled over the past ten years. Without financial aid, it would be impossible to continue our services.”

He and his volunteers have logged more than 14,000 miles on their own vehicles in 2012 alone, with trips ranging from 30-minutes to eight hours and some hotel stays to rest and drive the next day. With this grant money and additional funding, Goodenough hopes to one-day compensate his currently unpaid volunteers for their time and be able to successfully sustain O.P.E.N.

“The work that O.P.E.N. does is so needed in our community,” Craig said. “The elderly have a hard time getting to the grocery store, let alone seeing a physician. Barton’s Community Advisory Committee has been working on transportation and access to health care services – it’s been challenging with all of the cuts to government sponsored programs. But, by partnering with and supporting other non-profits, we are coming up with solutions to fill the gaps and get people the services they need.”

Congratulations to the following recipients of the 2012 Barton CAC health grants:
· American Youth Soccer Organization (A.Y.S.O.); Soccer Scholarship Fund: $1,500
· Boys and Girls Club of South Lake Tahoe; Bike Safety for Youth Program: $1,500
· El Dorado County Library – South Lake Tahoe Branch; summer reading program, ”Reading Is So Delicious:” $2,000
· Live Violence Free; Child counseling services: $5,000
· National Alliance On Mental Illness (N.A.M.I.); Funding for emergency medications and temporary housing for mentally-ill patients: $3,000
· Ordinary People meeting Extraordinary Needs (O.P.E.N.); Transportation for medical treatments: $3,000
· South Lake Tahoe Police Activities League (PAL); Six-week athletic programs and sports sponsorships: $2,000
· Tahoe Youth and Family Services; Tahoe Collaborative Mentoring Project: $3,000
· The Drug Store Project; Prevention of teen drug use program in Douglas and Lake Tahoe Unified School Districts: $3,000

2013 Grant proposals will be accepted April 1 through June 28 and can be submitted online at www.bartonhealth.org/grants or in person at the Barton Foundation office at 2092 Lake Tahoe Blvd. suite 600, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150. For more information please call (530) 543-5612.

Photo:
Michelle Feeney Barton Health, F.N.P. & Community Advisory Committee Chairperson; Ray Goodenough, Executive Director, O.P.E.N.; Julie Regan, Chairperson, Barton Foundation, Board of Trustees