Elizabeth Carey, COO of Alliance for Children and Families (right), presents mentoring award to Linda Walker (left) and Alice Tennis (center) of Volunteers of America of Minnesota.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE:
December 26, 2007
CONTACT:
Alice Tennis, LISW
Vice President, Senior Services
Volunteers of America of Minnesota
(612) 617-7812, atennis@voamn.org
Volunteers of America of Minnesota Wins Grant to Support Human Service Mentoring
Agency Will Help Other Organizations Meet Emerging Needs of the Aging Baby Boom Generation
(Minneapolis, MN, December 26)- Volunteers of America of Minnesota, a local nonprofit human service organization which provides a wide variety of services to children, adolescents and their families, older adults, persons with disabilities and special needs, and others, has been awarded a 15-month grant by the Alliance for Children and Families to serve as a mentor to other organizations. The organization was one of 10 agencies selected though a competitive, national process to receive the grant.
The grant is part of the New Age of Aging, a major five-year initiative designed to help prepare human service organizations throughout North America for older adults and the aging of the vast baby boom generation. Volunteers of America of Minnesota's selection as a mentor recognizes its involvement with programs and services for older adults that may serve as examples to similar organizations in other locations. The five-year, $2.6 million project is funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies.
"This grant enables us to share our expertise with other organizations to expand and strengthen the services available to meet the future needs of older adults," said Michael Weber, President and CEO of Volunteers of America of Minnesota. "We are pleased to have the opportunity to serve as a mentor and guide our peers in meeting this tremendous challenge."
Through the mentor program, agencies such as Volunteers of America will be paired with other organizations interested in doing more to prepare for the increasing population of older adults. Armed with the Atlantic grant, the Alliance and its members will develop leadership the social and human service workforce can use to address the needs, desires, and contributions of older adults.
"We are pleased that Volunteers of America of Minnesota will be involved in this important project," noted Peter Goldberg, president and CEO of the Alliance for Children and Families. "Through this program, we can help ensure that the human services community is thoroughly prepared for the increasing proportion of older adults in our society. We are grateful for Volunteers of America's leadership and contribution to this effort."
According to the most recent U.S. Census projections, 70 million Americans will reach age 65 by 2030, double the number in 2003. By 2050 that figure will grow to 86.7 million; at that point, the population over 65 will be more than 20% of the total. The aging boom will create a need for more human services for older adults, while the character of this generation will likely require new approaches and new paradigms for serving the aging population.
The Alliance for Children and Families
The Alliance for Children and Families, headquartered in Milwaukee, is the nation's largest association of private, nonprofit human service agencies and organizations. Its mission is to build the capacity of its members and to serve and advocate for children, families, and communities. Its members annually serve more than 3.4 million people with a wide array of programs and services. For more information on the New Age of Aging project, contact Jonette Arms, project director, at jarms@alliance.org or 414-359-1040 extension 3692.
Volunteers of America of Minnesota
Volunteers of America of Minnesota is a nonprofit organization founded in 1896 which offers a wide variety of services to more than 33,000 children, adolescents and their families, older adults, students, persons with disabilities and special needs, and ex-offenders each year. It is one of the oldest, largest and most comprehensive human service organizations in the state and has more than 60 programs, 700 employees and 4,000 volunteers. Volunteers of America has a rich history of developing innovative, quality programs to meet emerging social issues and prides itself on sponsoring programs which are able to articulate explicitly the outcomes achieved in its program participants' lives. For more information about Volunteers of America of Minnesota, visit http://www.voamn.org/, or call (763) 546-3242.
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