Stay at Home in Wilton is one of five nonprofits that help seniors have full lives at home that will share a grant of $11,000 from Fairfield County Community Foundation. The grant will support a joint advertising program to increase awareness of their organizations, what they offer and their needs for support. The ads will appear this spring in the Hersam Acorn Arts & Leisure section, which is part of The Bulletin.
The other nonprofits are At Home in Darien, At Home in Greenwich, Quality Living At Home in Ridgefield and Redding, and Staying Put in New Canaan. All five serve their local communities with services that allow seniors to live comfortably in their existing homes while enjoying the full benefit of community living. They applied for the grant as a group, said Phil Richards, board chairman of Stay at Home in Wilton.
These five nonprofits are part of a nationwide movement to make the lives of seniors more enjoyable, a press release issued by the group said. “This movement started in Boston about 15 years ago, and there are now over 120 of these villages throughout the U.S., with an equal number planning to start offering service in the next two years,” the release said.
Each of the local nonprofits has been in operation for several years, each with many participants. Stay at Home in Wilton, which will mark its fifth anniversary this year, offers transportation and handyman services through volunteers, referrals to reputable tradespeople, and social activities.
“This support from Fairfield County’s Community Foundation will help to generate interest among seniors to take advantage of the groups while encouraging others to help with services such as transporting those that cannot drive and fixing problems in the seniors’ homes,” said Barb Achenbaum from Staying Put in New Canaan, which was the first local organization, founded in 2007. “We are looking for this project to help us support all the activities we run to make our local members really feel at home.”
Fairfield County Community Foundation promotes philanthropy as a means to create change in Fairfield County, focusing on innovative and collaborative solutions to critical issues impacting the community. Individuals, families, corporations and organizations can establish charitable funds or contribute to existing funds. The foundation is in compliance with the Council on Foundations’ national standards, and has awarded $180 million in grants to nonprofits in Fairfield County and beyond.
Information: fccfoundation.org, stayathomeinwilton.org.