HomeMy WebLinkAbout20023262 RESOLUTION
RE: APPROVE GRANT APPLICATION FOR AREA AGENCY ON AGING,
GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN TASK FORCE AND AUTHORIZE
CHAIR TO SIGN - BROOKDALE FOUNDATION GROUP
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, pursuant to
Colorado statute and the Weld County Home Rule Charter, is vested with the authority of
administering the affairs of Weld County, Colorado, and
WHEREAS, the Board has been presented with a Grant Application for the
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Task Force from the County of Weld, State of Colorado,
by and through the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, on behalf of the
Department of Human Services, Area Agency on Aging, to the Brookdale Foundation Group,
commencing September 1, 2003, and ending August 31, 2005, with further terms and
conditions being as stated in said grant application, and
WHEREAS, after review, the Board deems it advisable to approve said grant
application, a copy of which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of
Weld County, Colorado, that the Grant Application for the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Task Force from the County of Weld, State of Colorado, by and through the Board of County
Commissioners of Weld County, on behalf of the Department of Human Services, Area Agency
on Aging, to the Brookdale Foundation Group be, and hereby is, approved.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Board that the Chair be, and hereby is, authorized
to sign said grant application.
The above and foregoing Resolution was, on motion duly made and seconded, adopted
by the following vote on the 30th day of December, A.D., 2002.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
WELD COUNTY, COLORADO
ATTEST: Lie EXCUSED
" GI aad, Chair
Weld County Clerk to #h�5fa'O
c,? 4 David E. g, Pro-Te
BY: Co
Deputy Clerk to the Bo
M. J. eile
APP V D A M: EXCUSED
illiam H. Jerke
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Robert D. Malden
Date of signature: //7/O3
2002-3262
HR0073
Grant Application
DATE OF SUBMISSION: January 3, 2003
CONTACT NAME AND TITLE:
Eva Jewell, Weld County Area Agency on Aging Director
AGENCY/ORGANIZATION:
Weld County Area Agency on Aging
ADDRESS:
P. O. Box 1805
Greeley Colorado 80632
PHONE: 970-353-3800 Ext. 3331 FAX: 970-304-6442
EMAIL: ejewell(2Ico.weld.co.us
Type of Grant (check one)
X Program Research General Support
AMOUNT REQUEST: $ 10,000
LENGTH OF GRANT: September 1, 2003 - August 31, 2005
Brief Description of Project: (no more than two sentences)
Grandparents and other relatives raising grandchildren will be provided with monthly support
meetings to discuss common problems and support each other in good and bad times. In
addition, they will be provided with case management and referrals in the community, quarterly
newsletters, quarterly legal clinics, educational workshop topics on financial resources,
parenting, anger management, etc. to improve their quality of life.
Is your Organization an IRS 501 (c) (3) Not-for-Profit? Yes or No:
If no, please explain: We are governmental.
Organization Summary
The Weld County Area Agency on Aging is situated in Northeastern Colorado. The population of
the county is 194,949 with 31 towns scattered throughout the county. The Weld County Area
Agency on Aging is located at 1551 N 17th Avenue in Greeley, Colorado, and is under the
umbrella of the Department of Human Services and Board of County Commissioners. Federal
funding is provided through the Older Americans Act, Mandatory State Match and the State
General Fund House Bill 1209, and foundation grants. Other Agencies under the umbrella of the
Department of Human Services are Employment Programs, FENWIC -Head Start Children
Programs,and Transportation. These agencies assist in providing services to meet the needs of the
families within the community.
The Area Agency on Aging's mission is to provide services to seniors to help them maintain their
independence and dignity in their homes as well as in the community by identifying and
advocating for their special needs. Programs under the Area Agency on Aging include Legal
Assistance, Senior Nutrition,Peer Counseling, Hispanic Elderly Outreach Program,Family
Caregiver Program,Adult Day Care,Home Health Care, Long-Term Care Sources with an
Ombudsman Program, and Case Management. The Grandparents Task Force is coordinated
under the Area Agency on Aging umbrella and has been in existence for approximately three
years. The task force does outreach with grandparents,provides information to and networks with
community agencies to provide programs that will benefit grandparents raising grandchildren. The
task force is currently functioning with only the 10%funding from the National Family Caregiver
Support Act set aside to support grandparents and other older relatives raising children.
II. Justification of ProposaUNeed
The number of grandparents raising grandchildren in our nation continues to grow. Statistics from
the Census 2000 has indicated that there are 5.4 million children living within grandparents or
other relative-maintained households. In the state of Colorado,there are 59,715 children living
with grandparents. In Weld County there are 3,450 children that live with grandparents,and this
figure has doubled in the last ten years. Grandparents are raising their grandchildren because the
children's parent(s)have been involved with substance abuse,teenage pregnancy,death, divorce,
parental joblessness,neglect, incarceration, child abuse,abandonment or illness.
Many of the grandparents are finding themselves unprepared to assume this responsibility with all
of the accompanying demands. Many don't understand the school system as it is set up today
such as requiring temporary custody or guardianship evidence. Others aren't aware of today's
problems, such as young children taking drugs or having parents who are abusing drugs,the peer
pressure that young children face, teenage pregnancy, etc. The average age of a grandparent today
is 48 and can range up to the age of over 80 years. There are many multiple issues that
grandparents are facing, such as coping with frequent health problems, finding enough energy
(both emotionally and physically)living on low income such as Social Security or depleting their
retirement savings when taking on one or more grandchildren to raise. Many grandparents are
finding themselves returning to work to make ends meet,or cutting hours from work to be at home
when the children arrive from school.
Grandparents have also lost their social network,no longer socializing because of the new
responsibilities in raising their grandchildren. Stress levels rise causing physical and mental health
problems such as exhaustion or depression. Grandparents feel alone, not realizing that other
grandparents are dealing with similar issues.
Funding would enable the agency to hire a part-time person to act as an advocate, who if needed,
could go with a grandparent to an agency such as the Department of Social Services to acquire
services, or act as a case manager assessing their needs and making referrals for resources in the
community. Another important duty would be the coordination of monthly group meetings which
would enable grandparents to receive support from each other. Collaborating with community
agencies in providing speakers who could provide information that would benefit grandparents at
the monthly group meetings. Topics could include legal clinics, child development and parenting,
financial resources, raising grandchildren with difficulties, anger management, assisting with
school work, or how to use the bus system to get to recreation centers, libraries, Social Services,
or doctor's offices. The new hire could also coordinate activities,such as a Grandparents Bowling
Night.
III. Goals and Objectives
1. To develop an outreach process to identify grandparents raising grandchildren in our
community.
2. To give more visibility in the community on issues that grandparents are facing in raising
their grandchildren by placing personal interest stories in local newspapers; doing radio
interviews, to work with the school system and churches to provide workshops to make
grandparents aware of the resources available to assist them.
3. To have available a part-time staff person who can act as an advocate,taking the role of a
case manager in identifying needs, locating resources and doing follow up. Providing
information and referrals to meet the needs of grandparents in the community.
4. To provide monthly support groups to grandparents raising grandchildren by using a
structured curriculum which would include an agenda for grandparents to share and have
discussions and invite knowledgeable speakers. Make pamphlets, books and educational
videos available for grandparents to check out to continue their educational needs.
5. To Provide a quarterly/monthly newsletter for grandparents with up-to-date information.
6. To allow more time to collaborate with agencies in the community such as Pro Bono
Mental Health services to coordinate and provide individual or family counseling. Networking
with agencies to provide workshops with information on Financial Resources such as TANF-
eligibility, Medicaid, SSI,Food Stamps, Head Start Programs, or Legal Clinics(topics in
child custody, adoption,power of attorney,court proceedings ). It could also include
child development workshops,parenting children with developmental and behavioral
difficulties,stress reduction, or as simple as grandparents/grandchildren learning to utilize the
bus system with confidence and security to get to needed locations. This coordination could
work jointly with the monthly support group meetings for grandparents/other relatives raising
children.
7. To encourage more grandparent involvement in the Grandparents Task Force to help identify
needs and assist in planning programs and workshops that are beneficial to improve their
quality of life.
8. To continue the celebration of National Grandparents Day,not just as a fun day, but
as a day to honor and give recognition to grandparents for all their hard work in raising
their grandchildren. Grandparents meeting others and feeling empowered by each other
benefits the children.
IV Background Information on Grandparents Task Force
The Weld County Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Task Force has been in existence since
January 1999. The driving force behind the development of the task force was a National Satellite
Teleconference focusing on the growing national phenomena of grandparents raising
grandchildren. Local human services agencies attended the teleconference and were amazed at the
overall needs of grandparents raising grandchildren. This increased awareness and understanding
of the issues ultimately lead to the development of the task force.
The task force continued building on the growing community interest regarding grandparents
raising grandchildren by facilitating a second teleconference in Weld County. This teleconference
focused on policies and legal issues that face grandparents. The teleconference was very
successful and more than 100 grandparents and professionals attended the event.
In the last two years the task force accomplishments include;the distribution of a quarterly
newsletter; a resource library that has videos, books and other training materials; free legal clinics;
the development of a legal guide book for grandparents; the sponsoring of the Community
Resource Gathering Conference for grandparents in April 2002 and the first Weld County National
Grandparents Day Celebration in September 2002.
Membership:
The task force membership consists of nonprofit agencies, governmental agencies, and
grandparents. The members meet quarterly to discuss the needs of both the grandparents and the
grandchildren and develop creative and collaborative means of providing support and needed
services in a cost-effective manner.
The task force strongly believes in order to meet the many needs of this population,the task force
must work collaboratively with the many existing agencies and systems in the community. For
example,to meet the identified legal needs, the task force worked with Weld County Legal
Services, Inc.,a pro bono legal service agency which provides free Legal Clinics to grandparents.
At each clinic two attorneys were present to provide key information on issues such as visitation
rights,adoption, etc.
Additional volunteers include other grandparents in the community and High school students
assisting at special events.
Members include representatives from:
Weld County Department of Social Services CSU Extension Service -Weld
Weld County Health Department Court Appointed Special Advocates
Catholic Charities Northern Child Advocacy Resource& Education
Weld County Legal Services, Inc. Family Connects
Dream Team Grandparents(3)
Weld County Area Agency on Aging
*Enclosed are letters of Support.
V. Evaluation/Measuring Results
=Program Evaluations will be distributed after each grandparent/relative care providers program
or event. Information obtained from the evaluations will help guide us in the development of other
programs and services or revamping existing programs.
Surveys and/or questionnaires will be sent to grandparents/relative care providers after they have
participated in the programs to determine the impact of programs or services provided. We are
interested in determining what outcomes or changes may have occurred in the lives of the
grandparents/relative care providers as a result of the information or assistance they obtained
through our programs.
=Number of individuals(and demographic information)attending all programs will be tracked to
determine if we have been successful in reaching a considerable number of grandparents/relative
care providers in Weld County.
=Anecdotal information such as success stories from grandparents/relative caregivers will be
gathered.
Timetable/Budget
If the $10,000 were granted it would enable a part-time person to have sufficient time to plan and
coordinate the support groups as well as initiating additional activities outlined above. The contemplated
target date to start would be September 1,2003, and would run through August 31,2005.
The $10,000 budget would cover:
•Part-time salary for hired staff to coordinate support group meetings and additional
activities mentioned above.
•Materials for the Support Group meetings,printing of other informational materials ,
purchasing notebooks/folders for grandparents to organize hand outs,pens, and name tags for
meetings.
•Purchase of educational materials such as videos, books,etc.
•Respite child care to enable grandparents to attend.
•Annual Community Resources Spring Conference costs for luncheon,printed materials, etc.
•Annual National Grandparents Day Celebration costs.
•Monthly purchases of refreshments such as coffee,tea,juice, cups,napkins etc.
•Boxed lunches for special day workshops or activities in conjunction with support meetings.
University
Knowledge to Go Places
Cooperative Extension
Colorado State University
Weld County Extension Office
525 North 15th Avenue
Exhibition Building. Island Grove Park
Greeley, Colorado 80631
December 9, 2002 (970) 336-7230
(970) 356-4000 Ext. 4465
FAX: (970) 351-0415
Dear Melinda Perez-Porter/members of the Brookdale Foundation Group:
I am pleased to support the Weld County Area Agency on Aging grant proposal for$10,000 from
the Brookdale Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP). The Area Agency on Aging can effectively
plan and administer services as outlined in the proposal. The Weld County Area Agency on
Aging can gather the necessary community collaborators to ensure its success. I have over 10
years experience with them in very success collaborations and team approaches to solve local
concerns.
From our perspective, grandparents and others in kinship care situations could benefit from:
greater awareness of available services, expansion of programs offered as needed by the specified
audience and having a central place for referral in a part-time staff person to address their issues.
As a founder and member of our local task force, we are stretching our outreach efforts to include
this audience in leftover time from our targeted positions. The success of our efforts could be
greater if a least one member of our group had this issue as their central focus. As agencies'
budgets are tighten we are experiencing more difficulty in providing consistent leadership at a
time when our county populations of households headed by grandparents is growing.
As the Family Extension Educator in Weld County I feel that Colorado State University
Cooperative Extension's mission-- to provide education/knowledge for individuals and families
to help people put this knowledge to work supports the goals set in this proposal. Our national
research- based information, and tested materials could be used in outreach efforts and as the
curriculum used in the support groups.
I look forward in continuing the collaborations with the Weld County Area Agency on Aging, in
the Brookdale Relatives as Parents Program.
Sincerely,
xcL
Donna Liess
Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Education/4-H Youth
Colorado State University,U.S. Department of Agriculture and Weld County cooperating.
Cooperative Extension programs are available to all without discrimination.
Weld County Legal Services, Inc.
"`"3/4 .,, P.O. Box 1283
Greeley, Colorado 80632 Sandy Carr
�I��I g � (970) 351-7300 Ext. 4514 Administrator
1
December 9, 2002
Melinda Perez-Porter/
Members of the Brookdale Foundation Group
Dear Melinda:
Please consider this letter an enthusiastic show of support for the invaluable
services offered by Weld County Area on Aging. I am a strong supporter of the
program, having worked with them for approximately two years. During that time
I have seen their program show dedication, support and positive steps toward
helping grandparents and other family members who have taken the responsibility
of raising children who are not their own.
Dorothy Escamilla, who is the Task Force Coordinator, approached me two years
ago to find out if there was a way to work together to provide legal presentations
for Grandparents who are raising their Grandchildren. I saw the need for these
presentations and was happy to help her by providing the attorneys. We have had
five presentations so far with three more scheduled for next year. There has been
a great response to each of these presentations. At these legal presentations,
Grandparents are getting educated about their legal rights and responsibilities as
well as getting many questions answered by attorney's who practice this area of
law.
I also participated in the Resource Gathering last year and assigned attorneys to do
the legal presentations at this Gathering. I was very impressed with all of the
information that was available for the Grandparents. It is great to be part of a
community that have individuals who truly care what happens to these children.
United Way
e of Weld County
I support, without reservation, Weld County Area on Aging and would ask that
you seriously consider their grant proposal from the Brookdale Relatives as
Parents Program. These services are a necessary and valuable part of the
community of Weld County.
Sincerely,, f,
27, u ( Cut
Sandy Car/
Administrator
Weld County Legal Services, Inc.
MEMORANDUM
DATE: December 23, 2003
IGlenn Vaad, Chair, Weld County Board of
W�`P C
TO: Commissioner Oa/LC
O� L
COLORADO FROM: Walter Speckman, Executive Director, Division of
Human Services
SUBJECT: Brookdale Relatives as Parents Local Request
for Proposal from the Weld County Area Agency
on Aging
Enclosed for Board approval is the Brookdale Relatives as Parents Local Request for Proposal
from Weld County Area Agency on Aging. The Area Agency on Aging in seeking funding to assist
in enhancing services currently being provided to Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (such as:
support groups, case management, educational workshops etc.). The grant request is $10,000
that would be paid over a two year funding period (September 1, 2003- August 31, 2005).
If you have additional questions, please contact Eva Jewell, Director Weld County Area Agency
on Aging at 353-3800, extension 3331.
2002-3262
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